Dear Members of the HMS and HSDM Community:
I am writing to share the bittersweet news that Lisa Boudreau plans to step down from her role as dean for alumni affairs and development (AAD) at HMS. She has accepted the role of chief development officer for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Her last day will be June 27.
Lisa has spent her entire career raising critical funds to advance the mission and work of educational institutions, punctuated by 24 years of service to Harvard. Following roles in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences from 1995 to 1999 and 2001 to 2005, she migrated across the Charles River to join HMS as senior director of development in 2008. Lisa was named interim dean for AAD in 2015 and — in one of my first and best decisions as the new dean of HMS in 2017 — I offered her the permanent role, which she graciously accepted.
Under Lisa’s leadership, AAD has attracted gifts from philanthropists who have boosted financial aid for MD and MD-PhD students and enabled the launch of key institutional priorities, including the Bertarelli Rare Cancers Fund, Blavatnik Harvard Life Lab Longwood, Center for Computational Biomedicine, Paul Farmer Collaborative with the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, Paul Farmer Professorship and Chair, REACH scholarship program, Tan-Yang Center for Autism Research, and Therapeutics Initiative, as well as plans for a major addition to Building C thanks to a $75 million gift from Ernesto Bertarelli, MBA ’93. In recognition of this extraordinary commitment and following completion of the construction, Building C — the last to be named of the five original marble buildings that form HMS’ iconic Quadrangle — will be named the Bertarelli Building.
Lisa has professionalized our alumni reunion program, increased reunion class giving totals, and raised HMS’ profile within the broader Harvard alumni community to help attract future major gifts. Remarkably, the AAD team surpassed $300 million in gifts and pledges in both FY19 and FY23, more than doubling any prior single year of fundraising.
I cannot thank Lisa enough for her dedication, energy, patience, positivity, vision, and wise counsel. She has been among my closest partners, and her legacy and impact will endure for years to come. Please join me in thanking Lisa for her service to HMS and the University and in wishing her the very best in her new role.
We will soon begin the search process for our next dean for AAD. In the meantime, I am pleased to announce that Matt Durno, currently executive director of development for principal and major gifts and grants, has agreed to serve as interim dean during the transition. Matt has been a leader on the AAD team for 15 years, and I have the utmost confidence in him and the entire team.
Sincerely,
George Q. Daley
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Harvard University