- Thursday, June 05, 2025
Business leader Anjali Sud and climate expert Sanjay Seth join Harvard’s Board of Overseers and Alumni Association during a politically charged moment in U.S. higher education, reflecting growing Indian-American influence.
By: Vibhuti Pathak
Two Indian-American professionals, Anjali Sud and Sanjay Seth, have been elected to prestigious leadership positions at Harvard University, marking a significant moment of representation during a tense standoff between the university and president Donald Trump’s administration over foreign student policies.
Anjali Sud, a noted tech and media executive, has been elected to the Harvard Board of Overseers, the university’s second-highest governing body. Established in 1642, the Board plays a vital role in advising the institution on academic programs and long-term strategy.
Sud will serve a two-year term, replacing Mark Carney, the former Bank of England Governor and now Canadian Liberal Party leader, who resigned from the post.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Seth, a climate and sustainability policy expert, will join the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) Board of Directors. His three-year term begins July 1, 2025. The HAA Board focuses on engaging Harvard’s global alumni community, supporting volunteer leadership, and fostering a strong sense of community across its graduates.
These appointments come at a politically sensitive time, as Harvard faces pressure from the Trump administration, which has threatened to revoke the school’s SEVP certification over its foreign student enrollments. The administration’s stance has been widely criticized for potentially limiting international academic exchange and for putting foreign students in jeopardy.
Anjali Sud, born in 1983 to Punjabi immigrant parents in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Flint, has had a stellar career trajectory. She studied finance and management at the University of Pennsylvania before completing her MBA at Harvard Business School in 2011. Sud worked at companies like Amazon and Time Warner, and rose to prominence as the CEO of Vimeo, a major video-sharing platform. In 2023, she became the CEO of Tubi, a rapidly growing free streaming service with around 100 million monthly active users.
Beyond her corporate achievements, Sud chairs the board of Change.org, reflecting her commitment to civic engagement. “My parents came to this country to give me a shot at the American Dream,” she said in a statement to Harvard. “I want to pay it forward for the next generation.”
Sanjay Seth, born in Australia, is a dual Harvard graduate. He earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Kennedy School of Government and a Master’s in Urban Planning from the Graduate School of Design in 2019. Seth’s undergraduate studies were at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Professionally, Seth has held key roles in climate policy, including serving as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for Climate and Equity at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s New England office. He previously led climate resilience efforts in Boston and New York City, and co-founded the Harvard Alumni for Climate and the Environment group. Seth also worked with the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.
Their elections highlight the growing presence and influence of Indian-Americans in U.S. academia and public policy leadership, especially during a period of political scrutiny and institutional challenge.
