The Leadership Institute at Harvard College

Karen Ding, President

Karen Ding is a senior at Harvard, hailing from the bicycle-loving, close-knit college town of Davis, California. After living in Iowa and Alabama, she’s now enjoying the new and different quirks of East Coast life in Cambridge. Karen is a pianist, a violist, a self-proclaimed TV show addict, and an avid runner and outdoorswoman who is always up for a race. She’s a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, as well as a Harry Potter fanatic. In the Harvard community, Karen is a photographer at the Harvard Crimson, an Open Access Fellow for the Office of Scholarly Communication, and a probable Economics concentrator. Karen currently serves LIHC as President. She can be reached at Karen.Ding@HarvardLeadership.org

Eric Michel, Co-Vice President

Eric Michel is a senior living in Quincy House who has been a member of LIHC since his freshman fall. He plans to graduate with a concentration in economics and a secondary field in government. He is from Cleveland, Ohio and is a dedicated Cavs, Browns, Indians, and Ohio State Buckeyes fan. On campus, he is an editor on the Crimson sports board and also loves to play intramural sports. Eric teaches government to middle school students as a member of CIVICS and is a senior staff member of Harvard Model Congress.

Reid McCann, Co-Vice President

Reid McCann is a junior statistics concentrator, living in Mather House. Reid is a native of Dallas, Texas and a member of the varsity football team, where he plays as a defensive end. Within LIHC, Reid served as the Co-Chair of the Social Outreach Committee, which is committed to empowering youths to reach beyond their potential. Earlier, he served as the Director of Outreach and Expansion, where he focused on reaching out to other national non-profits, and creating promotional material. Outside of LIHC, Reid is involved with Veritas Financial Group and the Harvard Financial Analyst Club. Both of which foster Reid’s interest in a future career in investment banking. He can be reached at Reid.McCann@HarvardLeadership.org

Kara Kubarych, Chairperson of the Leadership Development Initiative

Kara Kubarych is the Chair of the Leadership Development Initiative and has also enjoyed working with the Social Outreach and Magazine committees of the Leadership Institute. Kara is passionate about service and leadership and is particularly interested in social enterprise. She has been involved in a range of initiatives, from starting a summer camp business to fund her work with Sudanese refugee teens to co-founding Nika Water Co., a social venture whose profits support clean water projects around the world. She is chair of the Igniting Innovation Summit on Social Entrepreneurship at Harvard and is co-founder of the Harvard Social Innovation Collaborative, among other service and writing activities. Studying Government with a secondary in Health Policy, Kara is interested in how industry leaders and policy makers can work together to create sustainable change. A native Southern Californian, Kara is an avid runner, yogi, skier, snowboarder, and local food enthusiast! Kara can be reached at kkubarych@college.harvard.edu.

Peter Chen, Chairperson of The Presidents’ Forum

Peter Chen is a junior in Winthrop House and currently serves as chair of The Presidents’ Forum. Originally from Ohio, Peter was highly involved with leadership activities during high school and enjoyed playing the violin. At Harvard, Peter is concentrating in Economics with a secondary in Psychology. He is also a member of the Undergraduate Council and numerous business organizations on campus. As chair, Peter works hard to encourage collaboration among student leaders on campus as well as foster leadership on campus. In his free time, Peter enjoys going out with friends, watching sports, playing the violin, and being silly. He can be reached at peter.chen@college.harvard.edu.

Brianne Holland-Stergar, Chairperson of Social Outreach

Brianne Holland-Stergar is a junior living in Dunster House studying History and Science, with a secondary field in Dramatic Arts. Originally from Butte, Montana, she hopes to focus her leadership activities around youth and young women from rural areas and underprivileged backgrounds. In her spare time, Brianne regularly performs in theatrical productions here at Harvard, plays club basketball and club volleyball, and spending time hiking and exploring in the great outdoors. After graduation, she hopes to return to the West Coast a pursue a career in social justice law.

Linxi Wu, Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Undergraduate Leadership Magazine

Linxi Wu is a sophomore living in Dunster. She is joined LIHC last  year as the managing editor of the Leadership Magazine. She will probably concentrate in economics with a secondary in Classics at Harvard. Besides LIHC, she’s involved in HUTV, WIB, and HCCG. She likes Annenberg’s food, misses having lots of animals around to pet, and loves watching all the psychological thriller shows on TV. She can be reached at linxiwu@college.harvard.edu.

Pooja Venkatraman, Chair of External Relations

Pooja Venkatraman is a senior in Currier House from Princeton, NJ. She is an English concentrator with a citation in Spanish. Before joining LIHC, Pooja was on the board of the Harvard Political Review as well as a member of the Harvard Parliamentary Debate Society. After college, Pooja plans to go to law school. Her summer experiences include working for Ivy Insiders and the New York City Law Department as well as studying abroad in Madrid. In her free time, she enjoys writing, learning languages, and getting together with friends to watch her favorite sitcoms. She can be reached at pvenkatr@fas.harvard.edu.

Yoseph Ayele, President Emeritus

Yoseph Ayele is a 2011 graduate who lived in Dunster House and served as the President of the Leadership Institute. He had been in the Leadership Institute since the fall of 2007 and had served in the Leadership Development Initiative for over two years. He is Ethiopian by nationality and has lived and worked in Tanzania and Kenya for over six years. As a Social Studies concentrator, his focus field was on leadership, agency, and sustainable social change. He has worked for various non-profits in education, humanitarian organizations, and poverty alleviation. He has also been a columnist for two national newspapers in Ethiopia and Tanzania. During his free time, Yoseph enjoys traveling, photography, and building houses with Habitat for Humanity. Yoseph can be reached at Yoseph.Ayele@HarvardLeadership.org and welcomes questions and inquiries.

John Tan, Co-Vice President Emeritus

John is a 2011 graduate of Adams House and an Applied Math concentrator. He served the Leadership Institute as Co-Vice President in 2010. Outside of LIHC, he was involved in a variety of business organizations and conducts research at the Harvard School of Public Health. He enjoys keeping up with current events and going out for late night snacks with friends. John may be reached at John.Tan@HarvardLeadership.org.

Emily Harburg, Co-Vice President Emeritus

Emily Harburg was a 2011 graduate of Mather House, concentrating in social anthropology with a secondary in psychology. Born in Michigan, Emily spent her childhood moving around the world with her family, living in places like New Mexico, Spain, Oklahoma, and Switzerland. Within LIHC, Emily had served as Co-Vice President and Chair of the Social Outreach team that teaches leadership to middle school students in the Boston area. Emily was also a member of the Amigos y Lectores Reading Buddies Program, Harvard Women in Business, and played on the Varsity Women’s Volleyball Team. In her free time, Emily enjoys skiing, traveling, and boggle. Emily may be reached at Emily.Harburg@HarvardLeadership.org.