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Our Board...

A little bit about the First Generation Harvard Alumni Board.

 
 Kevin JenningsPresident 
Kevin Jennings is executive director of the Arcus Foundation, a private, global foundation committed to advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality worldwide. He has made a long and distinguished career as an educator, social justice activist and author. He began his career as a high school history teacher and athletic coach. Later, he founded the Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network, a national organization for LGBT and straight teachers, parents, students and community members seeking to end anti-LGBT bias in American schools. From 2009 to 2011, he was Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education in the first administration of President Barack Obama. He has authored six books, including Mama's Boy, Preacher's Son: A Memoir, which was named a Book of Honor by the American Library Association. He graduated magna cum laude in history from Harvard University in 1985 and earned a master's degree in education from Columbia Teacher's College. He also earned a master's degree in business administration from New York University's Stern School of Business.
 

  Kevin Delaney, Treasurer 
Born and raised in Brockton, MA, Kevin graduated from the class of '01-02  with a concentration in Economics. He has spent his career in the health care industry, working for Children's Hospital Boston in the Budget department. Kevin went to Boston University for graduate school, where he earned dual masters degrees, MBA/MPH in 2010. Since 2009, he has been with Kaiser Permanente, working in various finance roles, and jumping around in locations from San Francisco to Cleveland to Denver, where he is currently located. 
He is currently a Senior Finance Manager, leading the organization's efforts around Commercial risk adjustment, working with operational and physician leaders to completely and accurately document and code diseases and conditions. 
He lives in Denver with his wife (Angie Peluse '01) and two girls (Cameron and Emerson).
 
 
 
  Tiffany ChiCommunications Chair
Tiffany graduated from Harvard in 2011 concentrating in English Literature with a minor in Social Anthropology. Born and raised in New York City, Tiffany has always been surrounded by diversity and embraces being a first-generation college student and the child of two immigrants. However, she does remember how confusing navigating the college process was, both when applying and during college itself. Through the First Generation Alumni SIG, she hopes to help current first-generation students see all the opportunities that are available to them.
 
 
  Ada Lio,  Co-mentorship Director   
Ada graduated from Harvard in 2011 with a concentration in Economics and a minor a East Asian Studies. She is currently working for Canback & Company, a Boston-based firm that applies predictive analytics to management consulting. As a first-generation college student, Ada remembers how confusing it was to navigate college, especially in her freshman year. She hopes that the Harvard First Generation Alumni mentorship program will help first generation students ease their transition from high school to college and provide a support network for them.
 
 Khue Nguyen, Co-mentorship Director 
Khue received her B.A. in History and Psychology from Harvard College and her M.Ed. from Harvard University in Policy and Management. In college and grad school, she was involved with the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative where she helped to recruit low and middle income students to apply to Harvard. Khue is now an Advisor at Steppingstone, an education nonprofit that works with underserved Boston students to provide them with educational opportunities and programming that lead to college success 
 
 
  Diana Suen, Events Chair 
Diana graduated from Harvard in 2011 with an A.B. in Government and a minor in Economics. She is currently working for Cogito, a Boston-based behavioral analytics startup trying to improve patient health by analyzing social signals sent via voice and mobile to detect depression and increase engagement. Previously, she worked at The Boston Consulting Group where she specialized in business strategy and product development. As a first-generation college student, Diana remembers how confusing it can be to navigate college (applying for financial aid, selecting a major, leveraging university resources, finding a job, etc.) and hopes to be able to help other first-generation students find their way through college and make the most of their experience.
 
 
  Jeanne LurieCommunications Commitee 
Jeanne graduated in the class of 1968 with a concentration in History and is a retired trial lawyer and corporate general counsel.  She headed the Harvard Club of Georgia’s Summer Jobs program for several years recently and noticed real differences in approach to the job search among students. She eventually discerned that the students who were first-generation had the greatest difficulties on several fronts. Since she is a first generation college student herself, she was delighted to hear of the new Harvard group to support first generation undergraduates. 
 
 
Michelle O. Dionne, Board Member
Michelle is a first generation college student from Waterville, Maine and remains the only member of her family with a college degree.  After her mother passed away when she was young, Michelle was raised by a single father in a low-income family.  She attended Harvard (A.B. '05, Quincy House) and then Harvard's Ed School (Ed.M. '11).  Michelle's professional background includes managing a mentoring program.  She is currently a feminist sex educator with aspirations of a career in sex therapy.  She presently resides in Portland, ME, with her spouse Rachel and their two cats. 





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