Harvard Graduate Council : 2007-2008 Executive Board

Christopher Laconi is the current President of the Harvard Graduate Council (2007-2008). He is an MBA and MPP candidate in the second year of a three-year concurrent degree program with Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government. In his first year at the Kennedy School, Christopher was named the Dean’s Fellow of the class of 2008 and was elected to the HGC, becoming Vice President for Communications in 2006. Prior to Harvard, he founded a profitable political campaign management firm, worked as a nonprofit consultant, and was once ranked as one of the top ten debaters on the national circuit. Christopher was a Magna cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Bates College, where he studied Rhetoric and Political Science, edited a newspaper, and served as president/chair of the student government from his sophomore year until graduation. A Rhodes Scholarship finalist, he advises Harvard College students as a Lowell House non-resident tutor for fellowships and scholarships. Outside of school, his love of music and the arts motivates his work on the Museum Council of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, and the boards of several other non-profit organizations.

The President is responsible for leading the HGC toward further fulfillment of its mission, focusing the desires voiced by the members into achievable goals, helping the HGC Executive Board achieve these goals and coordinating HGC contact with the administration, faculty and staff. In addition, the President serves on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Alumni Association.

Specific tasks of the President include but are not limited to:

running monthly general meetings of the full council
defining the direction of the HGC with the other officers,
approving and/or appointing posts for initiatives and collaborations,
running regular meetings of the HGC Executive Board,
providing support to the other members of the HGC in the course of their own duties
addressing the incoming students during orientations

Ashley Pollock is Master of Liberal Arts Candidate in the Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University. She earned her first master’s degree in History from Harvard in 2005 and plans to pursue a Ph.D. with a research focus on women’s history, allowing her to combine her previous studies. Ashley has been a Teaching Assistant/Fellow for over fifteen history related courses at Harvard and this past summer, she served as an Assistant Dean for Harvard Summer School. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys cooking, hiking, photography, and traveling.

The Vice President Communications’ main goal is to ensure the effective management and communication of information. The VP of Communications is responsible for ensuring that all possible avenues are used to establish and maintain communication between the HGC and the entire graduate community at all eleven schools. In addition, VP of Communications is responsible for identifying paths of efficient communication and ensuring distribution of electronic and print information to all graduate students, including maintaining the HGC newsletter and listservs, public relations and marketing, and maintaining the website and HGC archives. In general terms, the VP of Communications is responsible for presenting the HGC in a coherent and exciting framework.

Adam Cohen-Aslatei is a second-year Master of Liberal Arts in Management student. His area of concentration is in organizational management and corporate strategy. Adam graduated from McGill University with Great Distinction, earning a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Faculty of Management. In 2006, Adam served as the Chair of Public Relations to the Harvard Graduate Council. Working closely with the executive team he helped build social, academic and central administrative networks within the graduate community. Adam is also an active member of the Program on Negotiations at the law school where he has participated in foreign council simulation exercises. Post graduation, Adam will focus his efforts on his passion- media, business development and consumer focused corporate strategy.

The Vice President of Events is responsible for developing, coordinating and fostering both social and academic interactions among graduate students in all 12 graduate schools. The main goal is to bring intellectual minds together and facilitate the process of relationship building, sharing of ideas, opinions and further advancing pertinent graduate-wide projects. Through internal and external collaborative committees the VP of Events organizes meaningful initiatives that appeal to the diverse Harvard graduate community.

Robert Carrasquillo is a PhD candidate in molecular biology in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Before coming to Harvard, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with an honors degree in biology from Washington University in St. Louis, as well as a minor in Japanese language and culture. Currently, Robert is a member of the Martin Pollak laboratory at Harvard Medical School, where he studies molecular mechanisms of inherited kidney disease. Outside of his research, he is a volunteer with The Family Van, a clinical outreach program of Harvard Medical School, and he ultimately hopes to attend medical school to become a physician scientist.

The Vice President of External Relations is also the joint contact with HGC President for Central Administration at the University, including Provost's and President's Office, and collaborative schools such as MIT, Tufts, and the Ivies. This position is also responsible for ensuring that all possible avenues are used to establish and maintain this communication in general. Vice President of External Relations is responsible for identifying paths of efficient communication and ensuring distribution of electronic and print information to all graduate students.

Vice President Internal Relations
Ashley Carlson, interim co-VP of Internal Affairs
HSPH
acarlson@hsph.harvard.edu

Ashley Carlson is a first year masters' candidate at the Harvard School of Public Health in Society, Human Development, and Health, with a concentration in maternal and child health. Ashley serves on her school's student government and also on the RAPS Achievement Gap Initiative steering committee at the Kennedy School of Government. She is part of the Christian Student Fellowship and she volunteers at the Boston Public Health Commission. Ashley was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Duke University in Public Policy and Theater Studies. After graduation, she taught eighth grade English and U.S. History in the Rio Grande Valley with Teach For America. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys running marathons, dancing, photography, card-making, and baking cookies.

Joshua Wright is an MPP candidate at the Kennedy School, where he studies economic and financial policy. Before Harvard, Josh was a press officer in UN peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan. He holds a BA in linguistics from Yale University, where graduated Phi Beta Kappa. As co-interim internal affairs officer, Josh will focus on assessing HGC constituents' needs and re-engineering the HGC budgeting process.

James Wang, Vice President Internal Relations, September - February
HMS/HBS
jywanga@gmail.com

James Wang is an MD candidate in the New Pathway Program at Harvard Medical School and is pursuing a joint MBA degree from Harvard Business School. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with honors in Biology in 2006 and conducted research at the National Institutes of Health. This past summer, James completed a management internship at the Massachusetts General Hospital, where he implemented process improvement projects to increase the efficiency of healthcare delivery systems and to promote patient safety. In his spare time, James enjoys traveling, hiking, golf, and the violin.

The Vice President of Internal Affairs must work with the executive board and members to ensure that the Council has effective internal communication. The officer oversees the Council budget and manages the logistics of General Body meetings. Other roles include distribution of meeting agendas, taking minutes at meetings, and managing the HGC's archive of information. This position also works closely with the Harvard University Provost Office to ensure that the budgets are made and expenses are paid in a timely fashion.

Daniel Saks is a Master of Liberal Arts Candidate in Management with a concentration in accounting and finance. He is a graduate of McGill University in Political Science and Urban Geography. Daniel was a varsity coxswain for the McGill Redmen Crew, as well as the team manager and the chair of the 2004 Canadian University Championship Regatta. Daniel's professional experience includes working in Private Wealth Management at the Royal Bank of Canada and as an entrepreneur in the tourism industry. Post graduation, Daniel intends to pursue a career in investment banking. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys adventure travel, skiing, investing, collecting Chinese art, and engaging in interesting conversation.

Jason Rafferty is a second year MD candidate in the New Pathways Program at Harvard Medical School and a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar. He is also involved in the HMS student government, working with local teens at the Martha Elliot Health Center, the American Medical Association's Medical Student Ethics Committee (Vice-Chair), and the Massachusetts Medical Society's Violence Committee. In addition, Jason was a co-founder and committee chair of the Day of Service at Harvard University initiative. He graduated with honors in neuroscience from Bates College and spent time teaching eighth grade math before starting medical school. Outside of anatomy lab, he pursues interests in child and adolescent health and bioethics, and spends as much time as he can running, hiking, and enjoying the outdoors.

The Vice President Student Advocacy oversees the main advocacy branch of the HGC. This position organizes committees for particular events or initiatives, as well as coordinating graduate volunteers. In addition to carrying out these projects, Vice President Student Advocacy is responsible for pursuing academic and career-related advocacy issues for the HGC.

Cheng Zhu is a doctoral candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). She has taught at the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Cheng was elected President of the HGSE Student Government Association in 2004-2005 and President of the Harvard Graduate Council in 2006-2007. In June 2007 she was awarded with the “Outstanding Service Award” by the Harvard Provost. She received her B.A. from Beijing University and her Master’s degree from the HGSE. In her spare time, Cheng enjoys a wide variety of sports and arts-related activities.

The President Emeritus is an ex-officio member of the Executive Board, advising officers of the Executive Board and providing valuable institutional knowledge and year-to-year insight on projects and initiatives.