Simone Leary

Simone Leary became chief human resources officer at Harvard Medical School in October 2020, following 10 years of service to HMS in the roles of human resources executive director, director, and senior consultant.

During her tenure at HMS, Leary has taken the lead on a number of school-wide initiatives and programs, providing overall strategic direction and management of the senior human resources leadership team that serves more than 2,000 HMS staff members, with a particular focus on employee and labor relations, compensation, organizational development and planning, and leadership development. She has been responsible for the School’s Title IX processes and has worked to ensure that all HMS business units, including the finance, operations, and basic and social sciences departments are aligned with the School’s overarching business objectives. She also promotes a culture of inclusion and belonging and employee well-being.

Before joining HMS, Leary served as a senior manager of human resources and administration within the Harvard University Information Technology unit and as a senior human resources consultant in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard. She holds a business administration degree from Emmanuel College in Boston and a criminal justice degree from Quincy College. Before coming to Harvard, Simone spent 16 years in the insurance industry serving in human resources and leadership roles.