Meet the AA&D Executive Team

Our executive team’s broad expertise and creative leadership guide our daily work in support of Harvard’s mission. Find their bios below and get to know our leadership.

Jim Husson

Vice President for AA&D

James “Jim” Husson became vice president for alumni affairs and development on April 1, 2025. He returns to Harvard after nearly 30 years in leadership roles for development and alumni relations at the University of Pennsylvania, Boston College (BC), and Brown University. A prominent leader in the field of higher education advancement, Husson oversaw BC’s largest philanthropic campaign at the time and was director of major gifts during Harvard’s then record-breaking $2.6 billion University Campaign. He has served on the faculty and as chair for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Summer Institute in Educational Fundraising, where he was recognized by his peers with CASE’s Crystal Apple Award for Teaching Excellence.

A native of Lowell, Massachusetts, Husson is a first-generation college graduate whose grandparents immigrated from Greece and Lebanon in the early 20th century. He is a graduate of the University of Rochester and Northfield Mount Hermon School, where he also began his career in philanthropy as an annual giving officer.

Sarah Karmon

Associate Vice President and Executive Director, HAA

A longtime member of the Harvard community, Sarah Karmon became associate vice president and executive director of the HAA in January 2023, after serving for three years as the HAA’s deputy executive director. In that role, she oversaw all operational aspects of the HAA, working with colleagues from across the Schools and central administration in support of Harvard’s more than 400,000 alumni around the world. Sarah also played a leading role in bringing the Classes of 2020 and 2021 back to campus for special in-person Commencement events in May. As associate vice president and executive director, Sarah is responsible for the strategic direction of the HAA and leads a network of more than 17,500 alumni volunteers. Those volunteers are committed to sustaining communities of alumni in support of Harvard’s mission and they are an important conduit of alumni viewpoints and sentiment toward the University.

Sarah joined the HAA as the senior director of University-wide affairs in August 2016. She also served as special assistant to the presidential search committee, which selected Larry Bacow JD ’76, MPP ’76, PhD ’78 in February 2018. Prior to joining the HAA, she served as chief of staff to Provost Alan Garber AB ’77, PhD ’82, and as deputy director of University development strategy. Sarah is a graduate of Vassar College. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family, especially to their favorite destination, Italy.

Jen Pachus

Associate Vice President, UDO

As AVP for the University Development Office, Jen oversees teams who coordinate across the University to create transformative and cross-School gift opportunities, engage donors in University-wide priorities and initiatives, and manage the development activity and travel for the president and provost. Prior to her role in UDO, Jen was the assistant vice president for communications and engagement, and she also served the Office of the President concurrently as special assistant to the inauguration, where she oversaw planning for the 29th Presidential Inauguration in partnership with colleagues in AA&D and across the University. From 2008 to 2018, Jen was executive director of The Harvard Campaign. In 1990, Jen started her Harvard development career as a front-line fundraiser in the Harvard College Fund and FAS Major Gifts, later serving as associate dean for FAS Development (managing service teams and the dean’s development activity).

She received her BA in philosophy from Yale University and has completed several courses in nonprofit management at Harvard Kennedy School. Jen lives in Needham with her husband, three children, and dog, Bandit.

Siovhan O'Connor

Associate Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, AA&D Resources

Siovhan O’Connor is the associate vice president for resources and chief operating officer for AA&D. In this capacity, Siovhan is responsible for running the daily operations for Alumni Affairs and Development and focuses on internal communication, staff morale, and promotes organizational wellness. She also oversees the internal resource teams that support AA&D efforts including information systems and technology, business intelligence and analytics, business operations, data governance, email marketing services, research and prospect management, events, creative services for communications, gift and biographical processing, University gift policy, budget and facilities, and human resources and talent management.

She began her Harvard career at Harvard Medical School and worked in executive education for both the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Graduate School of Education before beginning her work in development as assistant director of FAS development operations, focusing on services and process development for capital giving, the parents fund, and other areas of the organization in October 2003. A native of Indiana, Siovhan holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Marian University.