Hauser Leaders Program

LaTosha Brown
Hauser Leader, Center for Public Leadership
Co-founder, Black Voters Matter Fund
2020 Leader in Practice, HKS Women and Public Policy Program
2020-2021 American Democracy Fellow, Charles Warren Center, Harvard University

LaTosha Brown's work dwells at the intersection of social justice, political empowerment, human development and the cultural arts. As co-founder of the Black Voters Matter (BVM) Fund and the BVM Capacity Building Institute, founder of the Saving OurSelves Coalition, and leader of the Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium, Brown fights on behalf of others for access to quality education, safety and security, peace, and the elimination of human suffering. A thought leader and social strategist, Brown’s philanthropic efforts have raised millions, and established donor networks and community-led funds to support social justice initiatives in marginalized communities across the U.S. Brown also leads international endeavors to provide training, support and funding for women-led institutions across Africa and Central America.

Recognizing that her work is not rooted in strengthening political systems, governments or institutions—but in the advancement of people—Brown reminds those she serves of the power they hold within, leading them from vision to strategy to manifestation. Additionally, through music and storytelling, Brown is transforming the narrative of African-Americans through media, campaigns and nonprofit projects.

She is a regular guest on multiple national media outlets and has received numerous accolades including the 2018 Bridge Jubilee Award and Liberty Bell Award, the 2010 White House Champion of Change Award, the 2006 Spirit of Democracy Award, and the Louis Burnham Award for Human Rights. She serves on the board of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, the Southern Documentary Fund, the U.S. Human Rights Network and the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center. During the 2020-2021 academic year, she will serve as a fall, 2020 Leader in Practice at Harvard Kennedy School’s Women and Public Policy Program and a 2020-2021 American Democracy Fellow at Harvard University’s Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History.

Michael Brown
Hauser Leader, Center for Public Leadership
Co-founder and Senior Advisor, City Year
Principal, Public Purpose Strategies

Virtual visits: September 23-24, 2020 and October 7-8, 2020

Michael Brown is senior advisor and co-founder of City Year, an education nonprofit mobilizing young people for a year of service in under-resourced schools, which served as the inspiration for AmeriCorps. Brown led City Year for 30 years, including 13 as CEO. In 2020, he launched Public Purpose Strategies, which advises nonprofits, philanthropies and corporations on maximizing their strategic initiatives.

Brown has been awarded the Reebok Human Rights Award, Independent Sector’s John W. Gardner Leadership Award and has been named one of America’s Best Leaders by US News & World Report as well as an Executive of the Year and member of The Power and Influence Top 50 by The NonProfit Times.

Brown is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He served as president of Harvard’s Board of Overseers from 2019-2020. Prior to co-founding City Year, Brown served as a legislative assistant to then Congressman Leon Panetta and as a clerk for Federal Judge Stephen Breyer.

Susana Malcorra
Hauser Leader, Center for Public Leadership
Dean, IE School of Global and Public Affairs
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Argentine Republic (2015-2017)

Virtual visits: October 13 and 15, 2020 and November 5, 2020

Susana Malcorra is the Dean of the IE School of Global and Public Affairs and was previously Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship for the Republic of Argentina back in 2015. After her resignation in July 2017, she served as Minister Advisor to the President until December 2017. As such, she presided over the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference held in Buenos Aires.

She is currently a member of the External Advisors Group for the President of the General Assembly, Miroslav Lajčák. She is part of the executive councils of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, the Atlantic Council, the Inter-American Dialogue and the Aspen Ministers’ Forum.

Ms. Malcorra is a distinguished fellow for IE’s Transatlantic Relations Initiative in Madrid, and a member of the Democracy Cluster at EUI’s School of Transnational Governance in Florence. She has a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Rosario and 25 years of professional experience in the private sector (IBM and Telecom Argentina).

Ms. Malcorra began her corporate career as a systems engineer at IBM, eventually becoming the CEO of Telecom Argentina. She left Telecom in 2002, and in 2004 joined the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) where she became the chief operating officer. In May 2008, the United Nations Secretary-General appointed her Under-Secretary General of the recently created Department of Field Support.

Becoming the chief of staff for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave her invaluable experience for both humanitarian aid and peacekeeping operations. She has handled complex negotiations as a diplomat in various countries. She coordinated the mission to eliminate Syrian chemical weapons and the first ever Ebola emergency response in West Africa.

Ms. Malcorra has received numerous recognitions during her United Nations tenure and as a foreign minister.

Desmond Meade
Hauser Leader, Center for Public Leadership
President and Executive Director, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition

Virtual visits: September 16-17, 2020 and November 17-18, 2020

Desmond Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame many obstacles to eventually become the President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), Chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, and a graduate of Florida International University College of Law.

As President of the FRRC, which is recognized for its work on felony disfranchisement issues, Desmond has orchestrated the reorganization and incorporation of a coalition comprised of over 70 state and national organizations and individuals which includes, but is not limited to the NAACP, ACLU, PICO, Florida League of Women Voters, A. Philip Randolph Institute, PICO Florida, and Florida Immigration Coalition. Desmond has also received many accolades, celebrating his hard work and dedication to leadership and commitment to social justice. He led the FRRC to a historic victory in 2018 with the successful passage of Amendment 4, a grassroots citizen’s initiative which restored voting rights to over 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. Amendment 4 represented the single largest expansion of voting rights in the United States in half a century, and brought an end to 150 years of a Jim Crow-era law in Florida. Desmond is presently leading efforts to empower and civically re-engage local communities across the state, and to reshape local, state, and national criminal justice policies.

A sought-after speaker, Desmond has made numerous appearances on radio and television, and has spoken before national organizations such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bread for the World. Desmond has testified before Congressional members and staffers, and was a part of a delegation to the United Nations where he gave testimony regarding disenfranchisement in Florida. Desmond orchestrated a historic meeting at the White House between returning citizens and the President Obama’s administration. He has appeared on numerous shows such as Al-Jazeera, Democracy NOW and MSNBC with Joy Ann Reid. He is a guest columnist for the Huffington Post in which one of his articles about the death of Trayvon Martin garnered national attention. Desmond has been featured in several newspaper and magazine articles, and was chosen as a “Game Changer” by Politic 365, as well as being recognized as a “Foot Soldier” on the Melissa Harris-Perry Show on MSNBC. Desmond is married and has five beautiful children.

Ellen Ochoa
Hauser Visiting Leader
11th Director, NASA Johnson Space Center (2013-2018)

Virtual visits: October 26-29, 2020

Ellen Ochoa was the Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX from 2013 until her retirement in May 2018. She became the first Latina to go to space when she flew on a nine-day mission aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1993. She has flown in space four times, logging nearly 1,000 hours. She currently serves on several boards including as Chair of the National Science Board. Prior to her astronaut career, Dr. Ochoa was a research engineer and holds three patents for optical systems. She received a B.S. in Physics from San Diego State University, and both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. She is honored to have six schools named for her and has been inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame, the California Hall of Fame, and the International Air & Space Hall of Fame.

Former Hauser Leaders

Tommy Amaker (Spring 2020) || Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach, Harvard Men's Basketball; Director's Visiting Leader, Harvard Institute of Politics

Larry Bacow (2014-2018) || President, Harvard University; President, Tufts University (2001-2011)

Don Baer (Spring 2020) || Chair, Board of Directors, PBS; Walter Shorenstein Media and Democracy Fellow, Shorenstein Center, Harvard Kennedy School

Carol Browner (2019-2020) || Director, White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy (2009-2011); 8th Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1993-2001)

Geoffrey Canada (Fall 2017) || President, Harlem Children’s Zone

Carol Caruso (2017-2018) || CEO and Co-Founder, Bloom Impact; Innovator-in-Residence, Social Innovation + Change Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School

Alice Chen (2017-2019) || Executive Director, Doctors for America (2011-2017)

Nicholas Ehrmann (2017-2018) || President and Founder, Blue Engine; Visiting Innovator, Social Innovation + Change Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School

Claude Grunitzky (2017-2018) || Entrepreneur, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, TRUE Africa; Visiting Innovator, Social Innovation + Change Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School

Donald Kaberuka (2015-2016) || President, African Development Bank (2005-2015)

Tawakkol Karman (Spring 2020) || 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Nicholas Kristof (2017-2019) || Op-ed Columnist, The New York Times; Pulitzer Prize winner

John Kroger (2018-2019) || Chief Learning Officer, U.S. Navy (2019-2020); President, Reed College (2012-2018)

The Hon. Mitchell Landrieu (Spring 2018) || 61st Mayor, New Orleans, Louisiana (2010-2018)

Linda Mason (2014-2017) || Chair, Mercy Corps; Founder, Bright Horizons

Karen Gordon Mills (Fall 2018) || 23rd Administrator, United States Small Business Administration (2009-2013)

Vivek Murthy (2017-2019) || 19th United States Surgeon General (2014-2017)

Emily Kernan Rafferty (Fall 2019) || President Emerita, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Henry Timms (2018-2019) || President and CEO, Lincoln Center

Doug Ulman (Fall 2019) || President and CEO, Pelotonia

LTG Nadja Y. West, USA, Ret. (2019-2020) || 44th Surgeon General, United States Army (2016-2019)

Sheryl WuDunn (2017-2019) || Co-founder, FullSky Partners; Pulitzer Prize Winner