Since 1990, the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) has bestowed the HAA Awards to distinguished alumni in recognition of their extraordinary service to Harvard University through leadership and engagement activities. Continuing this tradition, the HAA has announced six recipients of the 2025 HAA Awards: Alice Abarbanel AB ’66; Siri Chilazi AB ’10, MBA ’16, MPP ’16; Joyce Putnam Curll AB ’65; Vanessa W. Liu AB ’96, JD ’03; Michael Clarence Payne AB ’77, MD ’81, MPH ’82; and Regina Ryan MPA ’04.
Alice Abarbanel AB ’66
Alice Abarbanel of Berkeley, California, has made outstanding contributions to the alumni community through her enduring commitment to documenting women’s history. As founder and volunteer project director of the Radcliffe College Alumnae Oral History Project, she spearheaded a significant initiative to document and amplify the voices of Radcliffe alumnae—helping to preserve the legacy of Radcliffe College for future generations.
Abarbanel led the effort to capture the reflections and voices of alumnae from the 1940s through 1979, the final Class to be admitted by a separate Radcliffe admissions committee. To be completed in 2026, this project includes a rich collection of transcripts, audio, and video recordings archived in the Schlesinger Library, providing an invaluable resource that is accessible to all. The project garnered enthusiastic support from alumni across the University.
She was honored with the HAA’s Clubs and Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) Outstanding Volunteer Leadership Award in 2024 for her exceptional service with the Radcliffe Club of San Francisco, where she continues to serve on the board.
A magna cum laude graduate of Radcliffe with advanced degrees in sociology and social work from the University of California, Berkeley, she is an experienced clinical psychologist.
Siri Chilazi AB ’10, MBA ’16, MPP ’16
Siri Chilazi of Boston, Massachusetts, is committed to empowering women, helping organizations advance gender equality, and uplifting the alumni community.
A dedicated volunteer, Chilazi is reunion leadership chair for the Class of 2010 Gift Committee and has chaired all of her Harvard Business School class reunions. She previously served in multiple roles on the Harvard Alumni Association Board, including as secretary of the HAA Executive Committee. Additionally, she has contributed to the Recent Graduate Leadership Committee of the Harvard College Fund and to multiple HAA Board initiatives, including as one of the founders of onBOARD and springBOARD.
Chilazi is a senior researcher at the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School, where her research on gender equality informs her work advising and training organizations to foster inclusivity. She is co-author of Make Work Fair: Data-Driven Design for Real Results with Harvard professor and behavioral economist Iris Bohnet, and her writing has been published in outlets including Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and The New York Times.
In addition to her academic career, she is an award-winning fitness instructor, presenter, and educator who teaches classes at Harvard’s Malkin Athletic Center and Shad Hall.
Joyce Putnam Curll AB ’65
Joyce Putnam Curll of Keene, New Hampshire, is a dedicated Harvard citizen whose unwavering support helps strengthen connections among alumni of all ages. As a “host parent” with the Harvard College Host Family Program, she welcomed undergraduates from across the country and around the world into her home—providing a second family at Harvard.
Together with her late husband, Dan Curll ’64, she formed a special bond with the 16 students they hosted through the years, traveling with them in many countries and remaining active participants in their lives. To show appreciation for their impact, Max Chen ’04, M.B.A. ’08, J.D. ’10 and his wife, Maggie, established the Dan and Joyce Curll Harvard College Host Family Program Fund.
A longtime Harvard volunteer, Curll co-chaired HAA initiatives to build community among older alumni, including establishment of the Crimson Society, which invites all alumni to its programs every year after their 50th Reunion. She served on the HAA Board as a College Director, her class reunion committee, and the board of the Radcliffe Choral Society Foundation.
Curll is the former dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard Law School.
Vanessa W. Liu AB ’96, JD ’03
Vanessa W. Liu of New York, New York, is a visionary leader who is passionate about building bridges among the alumni community. As the HAA alumni president in 2021–2022, she focused on bringing alumni together to pursue positive social change, helping to foster a culture of inclusion and belonging. Shaped by her experience in many alumni volunteer roles, she has facilitated connections and worked to implement innovative ideas.
In 2023, Liu was elected by her fellow alumni to serve a six-year term on the University’s Board of Overseers. She is co-founder of the New York chapter of Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs, a member of the Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance SIG, and an alumni interviewer for Harvard College. Prior to her term as HAA alumni president, she served as an elected director and several other roles on the HAA Board. During the pandemic, she co-organized a virtual event for the HAA Alumni Allyship series that was sponsored by more than 65 alumni clubs.
A technology entrepreneur, Liu is co-founder and CEO of Sugarwork, a software startup that helps companies turn their employees’ institutional knowledge into AI. She is also a board director of Appen and Goodman Group. Throughout her career, she has helped members of underrepresented groups launch their own startups.
Michael Clarence Payne AB ’77, MD ’81, MPH ’82
Michael C. Payne of Malden, Massachusetts, is a highly respected teacher and mentor. He has a long history of collaborating with alumni to build community and teach students and others how to work together across differences.
A former elected director on the HAA Board, he has served as a social media ambassador and engaged in multiple community-building activities. He has contributed to his College and HMS reunion committees as well as HAA initiatives focused on broadening engagement. Payne serves on the Happy Observance of Commencement Committee, helping to ensure that both Commencement and Harvard Alumni Day run smoothly. He is also a member of the HMS Alumni Mentoring Program on Aging, demonstrating his support for bolstering connections among all alumni.
Dedicated to public health and academic medicine, Payne is a gastroenterologist at the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), where he serves as the chief of endoscopy at Somerville Endoscopy Center. An assistant professor of medicine at HMS, he is also a nonresident premedical advisor at Currier House. He has mentored high school students, undergraduates at Harvard College, medical students at Harvard Medical School, and faculty across the Harvard community.
Regina Ryan MPA ’04
Regina Ryan of Boston, Massachusetts, is an entrepreneur who has made a lasting impact on Harvard’s Shared Interest Group (SIG) landscape. An expert at building SIGs from the ground up, she draws on her leadership experience to strengthen the alumni community while fostering connection and collaboration. Whether serving as HAA Board Club and SIG Director or leading a SIG organization, she brings energy, vision, and innovative ideas that help others thrive.
As president of Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HAE), Ryan took the reins at a pivotal time, transforming the organization into a vibrant global community of 22,000 across 22 chapters. She also expanded HAE’s offerings, notably launching the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Accelerator, which has supported more than 48 alumni startup founders.
Generous with her time, Ryan advises other SIGs on topics ranging from chapter formation to recruitment strategies. She served in multiple roles on the HAA Board, contributed to many University-wide initiatives, and was a class agent for the Harvard Kennedy School.
A seasoned executive, Ryan has served as associate and global innovation fellow of TECH at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and as entrepreneur in residence at Brookstreet Equity Partners.