Ijeoma Akunyili, the first daughter of the late Dora Akunyili, former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has been elected as an alumni board member of the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) in the United Kingdom. She will serve alongside eight other newly elected members from various countries for a term of four years.
The Harvard Kennedy School alumni board consists of 22 volunteer members, including 16 elected and six appointed members. These members work to strengthen connections among HKS alumni worldwide and are involved in several working committees focusing on engagement, connections, celebration and recognition, board governance, and communications.
In a statement, HKS highlighted the board’s role in engaging the global alumni community to champion the school’s mission, increase alumni engagement, lead the alumni association, extend and enhance alumni relations programs, and advise the dean on alumni perspectives. The board operates closely with the alumni relations office, the director of alumni relations, the dean of HKS, and other senior administrators.
The school congratulated the new board members and urged them to work towards strengthening alumni engagement with one another and with the school. They are expected to commit to a four-year term, attend two board meetings a year in Cambridge, MA, at their own expense, dedicate time to board work outside meetings, actively participate in working committees, and align initiatives with the dean’s priorities. They will also participate in selecting winners for the annual HKS alumni awards and attend HKS alumni events in their regions.
HKS encouraged alumni to lead by example by donating to the HKS fund within their personal capacity.
Earlier, in January 2023, Ijeoma was named Chief Medical Officer of the Jersey City Medical Center, an RWJ Barnabas Health facility in the US, becoming the first African American medical professional to serve in that role.
