The year of 2023 marks 19 years since the inception of the “From Harvard Square to the Oval Office: A Political Campaign Practicum” (Oval Office). To date, Oval Office has trained 818 Harvard graduate students and affiliates to run for political office. The Oval Office program is the flagship tool of the Women and Public Policy Program’s mission to advance nontraditional candidates for political office.
As of 2022, 67 alums from the Oval Office program are known to have held elected or appointed positions across the world, representing over a dozen nations, including Australia, Croatia, France, Georgia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Israel, Liberia, the Navajo Nation, Nepal, UAE, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
Oval Office Alums Currently Serving in Government
Oval Office Alums Currently Serving in Government
Jessica Altman
Jessica Altman
MPA '14, Oval Office '14
PENNSYLVANIA COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE
(2017 - Present)
Melissa Bender
Melissa Bender
MPP '17, Oval Office '17
CHIEF OF STAFF, OFFICE OF DELEGATE DEBRA DAVIS, THE MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
(2019 - Present)
Jennifer Benson
Jennifer Benson
MPP '16, Oval Office '15
MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 37; CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE JOINT CHAIR
(2008 - Present); (2017 - PRESENT)
Lhakpa Bhuti
Lhakpa Bhuti
Oval Office '13
JOINT COMMISSIONER, MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE AND CUSTOMS, THIMPHU, BUTAN
(2015 - Present)
Natalie Black
Natalie Black
MPA '11, Oval Office '10
her majesty's trade commissioner for asia pacific
(2018 - Present)
Sharon Clarke
Sharon Clarke
MC/MPA '13, Oval Office '12
NEW YORK CITY CIVIL COURT JUDGE
(2014 - Present)
Ellen Kwame Corkrum
Ellen Kwame Corkrum
Oval Office '12
MANAGING DIRECTOR, LIBERIA AIRPORTS AUTHORITY
(2017 - Present)
Shaniece Criss
Shaniece Criss
MC/MPA '16, SC.D. '15; Oval Office '13
TRAVELERS REST CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
(2018 - Present)
Amelie de Montchalin
Amelie de Montchalin
MPA '14; Oval Office '14
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 6TH CONSTITUENCY of essonne representative; whip of la republique en marche! at the national Assembly's finance committee/secretary of state for european affairs
(2017; 2017 - 2018; 2019 - Present)
Alexandra Dublanche (Goujon)
Alexandra Dublanche (Goujon)
MPA '12; Oval Office '11
Sartrouville deputy-mayor
(2014 - Present)
Lori A. Ehrlich
Lori A. Ehrlich
MC/MPA '05; Oval Office '05
Federal Emergency Management Agency Region I Administrator
(2022 - Present)
MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 8
(2009 - 2022)
Nancy Chaires Espinoza
Nancy Chaires Espinoza
MPP '06; Oval Office '06
ELK grove unified school district board of education representative area 6; president, elk grove unified school district
(2016 - Present; 2017)
Orit Farkash-Hacohen
Orit Farkash-Hacohen
MPP '07; Oval Office '07
israeli public utilities authority (PUA) chairperson and general director; minister of science, technology and space, knesset (supreme unicameral national legislature of israel)
(2011 - 2016; 2021 - Present)
Ann-Margaret Ferrante
Ann-Margaret Ferrante
MPA '18; Oval Office '17
MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 5
(2009 - Present)
Tahra Goraya
Tahra Goraya
MC/MPA '19; Oval Office '19
Milton town meeting member in precinct 6
(2019 - Present)
Sara Greenberg
Sara Greenberg
Oval Office '13
advisor to the prime minister of israel for world communities
(2018 - Present)
Emma Greenman
Emma Greenman
mpa '09; Oval Office '06
minnesota house of representatives, district 63b
(2021 - Present)
Heather Hamilton
Heather Hamilton
mpa '16; Oval Office '16
selectboard member, brookline town government
(2017 - Present)
September Hargrove
September Hargrove
mpP '11; Oval Office '10
board member, michigan strategic fund
(2019 - Present)
Lynsey Heffernan
Lynsey Heffernan
mC/MPa '19; Oval Office '19
selectboard member of the shrewsbury school committee
(2019 - Present)
Decontee King-Sackie
Decontee King-Sackie
mC/MPa '14; Oval Office '14
liberia revenue authority (LRA) deputy commissioner general for technical affairs
(2014 - Present)
Angela Lagdameo
Angela Lagdameo
MPp '08; Oval Office '07
chief innovation officer and deputy chief administrative officer, howard county government
(2018 - Present)
Gali Levi
Gali Levi
Oval Office '16
ministry of economy, israel
(2010 - Present)
Michelle Monsegur
Michelle Monsegur
mpp '14; Oval Office '13
assistant town administrator, town of hingham, ma
(2018 - Present)
Clare O'Neil
Clare O'Neil
mpp '18; Oval Office '08
parliament of australia member for hotham; minister of home affairs and minister for cybersecurity
(2013 - Present; 2022 - PRESENT)
Brune Poirson
Brune Poirson
mpp '17; Oval Office '17
vaucluse representative at the french national assembly (Member of parliament)/minister for the ecological and inclusive transition secretary of state
(2017 - Present)
Kesha Ram Hinsdale
Kesha Ram Hinsdale
MPA '18, Oval Office '18
Vermont State Senate
(2021 - Present)
Kimberly Schneider Branam
Kimberly Schneider Branam
MPp '07, Oval Office '07
executive director; prosper portland
(2016 - Present)
Michelle Wu
Michelle Wu
J.D. '12, Oval Office '11
mayor of boston
(2021 - Present)
Christina Sharkey
Christina Sharkey
mpa '17; Oval Office '17
counselor for commercial affairs, us embassy, prague, czech republic
(2018 - Present)
Kathleen Selenski
Kathleen Selenski
mpp '07; Oval Office '06
first executive director of the secure choice retirement savings program
(2017 - Present)
Abiola Seriki
Abiola Seriki
Oval Office '09
director general, office of education quality assurance, lagos state government
(2019 - Present)
Shashank Shukla
Shashank Shukla
mpa '15; Oval Office '15
indian national congress joint secretary
(2019 - Present)
Meredith Davis Tavera
Meredith Davis Tavera
mpp '18; Oval Office '18
foreign service officer, us department of state
(2018 - Present)
Raina Thiele
Raina Thiele
mpp '09; Oval Office '09
senior advisor to the secretary for alaska affairs and strategic priorities
(2021 - Present)
Kosi Yankey
Kosi Yankey
mpa/Mpp '16; Oval Office '12
senior advisor to the prime minister, government of the republic of croatia
(2017 - Present)
Oval Office Alums Who Previously Served in Government
- Ethel Branch, MPP, J.D. '08, Oval Office '06, Attorney General, Navajo Nation, 2015 - 2019
- Stefani Carter, MPP, J.D. '05, Oval Office '05, Texas House of Representatives District 102, 2013 - 2015
- Tamar Chugoshvili, MC/MPA '15, Oval Office '15, First Deputy Chairperson of the Parliament, Georgia, 2016 - 2019
- Tania Del Rio, MPP '16, Oval Office '15, Executive Director for the Mayor's Office of Women's Advancement, City of Boston, 2018 - 2021
- Meredith Fascett, MPP '05, Oval Office '05, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, Capitol Riverfront Neighborhood, 2014 - 2018
- Michelle Fay, MPA '11, Oval Office '11, Vermont House of Representatives District 3, 2012 - 2015
- Al Anood Bin Kalli, Oval Office '15, Strategic Division Advisor, Public Diplomacy Office, 2013-2017
- Sonay Kanber, Oval Office '16, Senior Expert on European Union Affairs, Ministry for European Union Affairs, Turkey, 2016-2018
- Sapana Pradhan Malla, MC/MPA '14; Oval Office '14, Committee Against Torture (CAT) Member, Nepal, 2014 - 2017
- Joanna Penn, MPP '15, Oval Office '15, Deputy Chief of Staff and Special Adviser to Theresa May, 2016 - 2019
- Maura Corby Sullivan, MPA, MBA '09, Oval Office '07, The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), Department of Veteran Affairs Assistant Secretary, Department of Defense Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, 2010, 2014 - 2016, 2014 - 2016
- Maria Syms, MC/MPA '14, Oval Office '14, Arizona House of Representatives District 28, 2017 - 2018
- Nairi Tashjian, MPP '07, Oval Office '07, Budget Lead, Department of Transportation Agency Review Team, 2020 - 2021
- Ivana Vukov, MPA '12, Oval Office '12, Executive Director, National Board for Small Scale Industries, 2017 - 2021
- Jimena Zuniga, MPP '05, Oval Office '05, Advisor to the Deputy Minister, Ministerio De Hacienda, 2019