Global alumni to elect next representative to the Yale board of trustees

Two alumni are on the ballot of this year’s Alumni Fellow Election, which will determine the next alumni fellow of the Yale board of trustees, known formally as the Yale Corporation. Voting opened on April 11 to eligible alumni around the world. The individual receiving the highest number of votes will fill the vacancy created by Kevin P. Ryan ’85 B.A., whose service as alumni fellow concludes on May 20, 2018.

“The Yale Corporation — the university’s board of trustees — plays a vital role in supporting Yale’s mission, progress toward its strategic goals, and continued excellence as the global research university most committed to teaching and learning,” President Peter Salovey wrote in a letter introducing the election.

This year’s candidates are David Agard ’75 B.S., a professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF), and Michael Warren ’90 B.A., global managing director of Albright Stonebridge Group. The candidates, nominated by the Alumni Fellow Nominating Committee of the Association of Yale Alumni, are selected based on their ability to contribute expertise and experience that complement those of current trustees.

The committee seeks to nominate “exceptional leaders with the knowledge and skills to serve the Corporation’s governing and advisory activities in support of Yale’s mission,” says Kimberly Goff-Crews, secretary and vice president for student life.

Agard is a noted scholarly and strategic leader in molecular biophysics and biochemistry, overseeing a lab at UCSF that researches the molecular machinery responsible for cellular function. Throughout his career, in addition to carrying out the responsibilities of academic leadership, he has dedicated himself to teaching and mentoring the next generation of scientists, particularly in multi-disciplinary science. In 2000, he spearheaded the creation of the University of California’s multi-campus Institute for Bioengineering, Biotechnology, and Quantitative Biomedical Research (QB3), a hybrid research institute and startup accelerator, becoming its founding director and later UCSF’s scientific director. A member of the University Council, Agard is committed to Yale, which he calls “conducive to exploration.”

Read Agard’s full bio here (PDF). 

Since graduation, Warren has become a leader in financial services, international business, and government policy. At Albright Stonebridge Group — a firm he co-founded — he advises clients “at the intersection of the public, private, and social sectors.” Throughout his career he has maintained a firm commitment to public service, serving as executive director of the National Economic Council at the White House during the Clinton administration, and as a senior advisor in the White House Presidential Personnel Office during the Obama administration. He’s also actively engaged at Yale as a member of the University Council, the President’s Council on International Activities, and the School of Management Board of Advisors. Of the Yale Corporation, he notes, “I’m excited to jump in and be helpful — to faithfully represent Yale’s alumni in supporting the mission and aspirations of the university.”

Read Warren’s full bio here (PDF).

The Office of the Secretary manages the annual election, which will conclude on the eve of University Commencement, on Sunday, May 20. Votes must be cast on an official ballot. Election materials and the official ballot have been sent electronically to all eligible alumni for whom the university has an email address; those who do not have an email address on file will receive a postcard with instructions on how to cast a ballot. Alumni who requested hard copies of voting materials have been sent a paper ballot. Anyone who has difficulty or questions about voting may contact Election Services Corporation by email at yalehelp@electionservicescorp.com or by phone at 1-866-720-HELP (4357) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST. 

For more information about the election process, visit the Alumni Fellow Election website.