Articles, interviews, and public materials related to Teresa Clarke’s work, leadership, and service to Harvard. For press inquiries, interview requests, or background conversations, please contact: press@clarkeforoverseer.org
Media Coverage
Meet the Nine Candidates Running for Harvard’s Board of Overseers
Nine candidates are competing for six seats on Harvard’s Board of Overseers as the University emerges from a year of political pressure and sweeping changes on campus. The Crimson sat down with each to discuss their vision for the role.
Harvard Board of Overseers Candidates Describe Priorities
Alumni will vote for the University governing board in April and May. EACH YEAR, candidates for Harvard’s Board of Overseers—one of the University’s two governing boards—answer four questions posed by Harvard Magazine. Their answers are meant to help voters better understand who the candidates are, what qualities they would bring to their leadership roles, and what they think are the most important issues facing the University today.
Overseer Candidate Teresa Clarke Pledges to Reinforce Academic Core
Teresa Clarke, a three-time Harvard graduate and longtime University leader, is running for the Board of Overseers with a focus on safeguarding Harvard’s enduring strengths. She emphasizes protecting academic excellence amid political and financial pressures, while ensuring diversity remains grounded in shared standards. A former Goldman Sachs managing director and founder of Africa.com, Clarke brings global experience and a listening-centered leadership style shaped by decades of service to Harvard and beyond.
June 18, 2024
National Association of Corporate Directors: AI – What Every Board Director Needs to Know
The National Association of Corporate Board Directors hosted a panel discussion for sitting directors as part of its professional development program: AI: What Every Board Director Needs to Know. Teresa was a featured panelist along with an AI expert from Ernst and Young. The panel focussed on anticipating the sources and levels of unknown risks and opportunities associated with AI in a corporate context from the perspective of the board of directors.
Training Future Women Presidents of Africa
Teresa Clarke J.D. ’87/M.B.A. ’88 and Professor Ruth Okediji LL.M. ’91 S.J.D. ’96 bring together four female African heads of state to explore opportunities for the continent’s future advancement. Even in Africa, few citizens are aware that so many women have served as president or prime minister — some for brief terms, and many during times of war, famine, financial insecurity, and disease. The historic virtual summit that brought these four together for the first time, called the Women Heads of State Initiative, was organized by Teresa Clarke J.D. ’87/M.B.A ’88 — an investment banker, noted humanitarian, and CEO of the website Africa.com.
50 Years of Women at Harvard Business School
As part of the 50th anniversary of women being admitted to Harvard Business School’s MBA program, they profiled Teresa among a select group of distinguished Black alumnae. The feature recognized women who reflect the breadth of the HBS community and exemplify the School’s mission to educate leaders who make a difference in business and civic life.
Educational Activist: Teresa Clarke helps talented but low-income South African children through the Student Sponsorship Programme
Teresa was featured in Harvard Magazine in a profile titled Educational Activist, highlighting her work expanding access to high-quality education in South Africa. The article recognized her transition from Wall Street executive to founder of the Student Sponsorship Programme, underscoring her commitment to leadership and opportunity.
Harvard Business School’s Digital Data Design (D^3) Institute Advisory Council
Teresa was selected to serve as an Advisor to the Digital Data Design (D^3) Institute Advisory Council at Harvard Business School. In this role, she joins a distinguished group of leaders shaping the School’s work at the intersection of digital technology, data, and design, contributing strategic insight to help prepare future leaders to navigate and lead in an increasingly digital and globally interconnected economy.
October 11, 2014
Harvard Black Alumni Society Award of Appreciation – The New Africa Panel
Teresa received the Harvard Black Alumni Society Award of Appreciation for producing and moderating a panel at the Harvard Black Alumni Weekend in 2014. The panel, “The New Africa: A Fresh Look through a New Prism” featured South African billionaire philanthropist, Patrice Motsepe; internationally renowned designer Ozwald Boateng, MainOne Cable CEO Funke Opeke who brought broadband to West Africa. Together, they examined modern Africa through a dynamic prism of business, technology, culture, philanthropy, and political leadership, offering a forward-looking perspective that challenged outdated narratives and highlighted the continent’s growing global influence and institutional strength.
February 14, 2014
TEDx Bridging the Diaspora Divide – Teresa H. Clarke
In this powerful TEDxEuston talk, Teresa H. Clarke explores the importance of bridging the divide between African communities on the continent and across the global diaspora, calling for greater connection, collaboration, and shared purpose to address common challenges.
How AI is Shaping the Future of Global Development: Key Insights
The Harvard Center for International Development (CID) held its 16th annual Global Empowerment Meeting (GEM), GEM25: Catalyzing AI for Inclusive Change, on April 29, 2025, at Harvard Business School. Cohosted by the Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard (D^3), GEM25 focused on both the promising power of artificial intelligence (AI) in advancing development and its potential to widen existing inequities in emerging economies.