Rebuffing Calls to Resign, Penny Pritzker ’81 Will Stay in Top Harvard Corporation Post

Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny S. Pritzker ’81 will remain at the helm of the University’s highest governing body despite growing calls for her resignation by some prominent donors and alumni, a Harvard spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Pritzker and the Corporation are under intense scrutiny after Claudine Gay announced her resignation as Harvard’s 30th president on Tuesday, with some critics asking how much responsibility for the University’s leadership crisis falls on the board.

The public announcement of Pritzker’s intention to stay in the post indicates that she is intent on leading Harvard through its second presidential search in less than three years. As senior fellow, Pritzker is the person with the greatest influence over the selection of the University’s 31st president.

Pritzker, a former U.S. commerce secretary under President Barack Obama, was elected to the Corporation in 2018 and assumed the position of senior fellow in 2022, just in time to lead the search that culminated in Gay’s selection.

The new search will give Pritzker a second chance to provide the University with long-term leadership continuity. Gay was widely expected to lead Harvard for the next decade or longer, but tenure ended unceremoniously even before the start of her second semester.

Pritzker will likely face questions about the transparency of Harvard’s presidential search process amid increased scrutiny of the University’s top administration as it continues to navigate a leadership crisis that has not subsided after Gay’s resignation.

Pritzker’s continuation in her role at Harvard stands in contrast to the University of Pennsylvania, where her counterpart — former Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok — announced his resignation just moments after President Elizabeth Magill announced her departure.

Pritzker, 64, hails from one of Chicago’s wealthiest families and is the sister of Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker. She currently serves as the special representative for Ukraine’s economic recovery in the Biden administration.

—Staff writer Emma H. Haidar can be reached at emma.haidar@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @HaidarEmma.

—Staff writer Cam E. Kettles can be reached at cam.kettles@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @cam_kettles or on Threads @camkettles.