Maura Healey To Serve as Chief Marshal at Commencement

UPDATED: April 11, 2017 at 1:44 p.m.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura T. Healey ’92 will lead this year’s Commencement exercises as chief marshal.

The position is awarded to class members from the 25th reunion class who has achieved success in their careers, contributed to their communities, and served the College, according to the Harvard Alumni Association. In a statement, HAA’s president Martin J. Grasso Jr. ’78 praised Healey’s selection as chief marshal.

“Harvard Commencement is a celebration of the achievements of all the degree recipients during their time at Harvard and also an opportunity to welcome them as Harvard alumni,” Grasso said. “It will be a high honor to have Attorney General Healey serve as our chief marshal, and will greatly contribute to the special and memorable nature of the day for the many graduates, families, and alumni joining us in May.”

Healey—the state’s premier prosecutor—has made headlines in recent months due to a legal dispute with the natural resources behemoth ExxonMobil, which her office argued was obscuring information as to whether the company was hiding the harmful effects of climate change from the public.

She has also frequently pilloried President Donald Trump, calling him a “chaos candidate” who has evolved into a “chaos president." Healey has also filed a lawsuit against Trump’s administration for his proposed travel ban on immigrants from seven predominantly-Muslim countries.

In May, Healey will be responsible for leading the alumni procession to Tercentenary Theatre, where the bulk of the campus’s main Commencement activities—including Class Day and the Commencement speeches—take place. She will also host a lunch for alumni and other special guests to the University.

While at the College, Healey concentrated in government and captained the women’s basketball team, eventually taking two years to play at the professional level in Austria before returning to the United States to pursue law. She hasn’t dropped the sport completely, though—she’s earned a reputation in Boston for her skills on the court, trouncing Governor Charlie Baker in a basketball game in 2014.

Healey was elected attorney general in 2014.

Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl K. Sandberg ’91 led the Commencement exercises for the 25th reunion class last year.

—Staff writer Brandon J. Dixon can be reached at brandon.dixon@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrandonJoDixon.