Dr. Claudine Gay, Harvard University

On July 1, Dr. Claudine Gay, a distinguished scholar of democracy and political participation, will become the 30th president of Harvard University. She is the second woman and first African American woman to hold the presidency in Harvard’s 387-year history. “For me, this role is about harnessing the power of ideas and supporting the people who pursue them,” Gay says in a video announcing her presidency. Gay currently serves as the Edgerley Family Dean of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She has guided efforts to expand student access and opportunity, enhanced aspects of academic culture, and brought new emphasis to areas of science, engineering, ethnicity, indigeneity, and migration for underrepresented populations.