Marion Dry
Chair and Co-Founder
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Marion Dry has been Co-Chair of ClassACT HR73 since it was founded in 2014. She has served as the Director of ClassACT’s Benazir Bhutto Leadership Program and led the development of ClassACT’s Bridge program. She is the current president of ClassACT and the Executive Director of the ClassACT Forums, which she created. Before devoting herself to the work of ClassACT HR73, Marion was a concert and opera singer, and for 20 years, a member of the faculty of Wellesley College where she taught voice and opera, served as chair of the Music Department, and ran the Music Performance Program. A contralto, Marion sang with major opera companies and orchestras in the United States and Europe. She appeared as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, National Symphony of Panama, National Symphony of the Ukraine, Handel and Haydn Society, and others. She was a member of the original cast of world premiere performances of John Adams’ opera, Nixon in China, directed by Harvard alumnus, Peter Sellars, which toured the United States and received Emmy and Grammy award nominations. Marion has performed operatic roles in the United States with Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Brooklyn Academy’s Next Wave Festival, Intermezzo Chamber Opera, Opera Boston, Blossom Music Festival, Boston Lyric Opera, and in Europe in concerts in Italy and at Netherlands Opera and Edinburgh Festival. In 2014, she sang the title role in the world premiere of the opera Anne Hutchinson by composer Dan Shore and librettists Bill Fregosi and Fritz Bell with Intermezzo Opera. Her recordings include Nixon in China, the first recording of Lukas Foss’s opera, Griffelkin, for which she sang the Grandmother (Devil), Let’s Have a Union by The Jubilee Trio, and Samuel Barber’s opera Vanessa. She can be heard on Brave Records, Chandos, Nonesuch, Koch, Virgin Classics and CRI recording labels. Marion served as co-chair of the HR73 35th Reunion and has been active on HR73 reunion committees since the 25th reunion.
George Putnam
Co-Founder and Treasurer
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After receiving his undergraduate degree, George completed the joint law and business program at Harvard Business and Law Schools, obtaining the degrees of JD and MBA in 1978. He spent seven years practicing corporate, environmental and bankruptcy law with the Dechert LLP firm in Philadelphia. He left the practice of law in 1985 to found New Generation Research, Inc., a bankruptcy research and publishing firm. In 1990, he launched New Generation Advisors LLC, an investment management firm specializing in distressed securities. He is also an independent trustee of the Putnam Group of Mutual Funds. George has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute, Marine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, MA), World Environment Center, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Saint Mark’s School (Southborough, MA), the Epiphany School (Boston, MA) and the Sea Education Association. George is one of the founders and is now the Treasurer of ClassACT.
Ron Dieckmann
Board Member
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After Harvard, Ron veered west and attended Stanford Medical School, and the Berkeley School of Public Health. For 25 years, he was Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at University of California, San Francisco and Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital. Triple-board certified in pediatrics, pediatric emergency medicine, and general emergency medicine, Ron helped create the specialty of pediatric emergency medicine.
After editing five different first edition textbooks in conventional hard copy format, he became disenchanted with the written word. Instead, Ron envisioned an updatable, expandable and scalable digital platform, built primarily for instant mobile phone access at the patient’s bedside. In 2003, he founded a software company to develop this new interactive pediatric software program. He named it PEMSoft; it was the first virtual pediatric knowledge system.
After release of the first for-profit version of PEMSoft in 2005, Ron gifted the software to colleagues in Hanoi, Vietnam. The experiment was an instant success and Ron surmised that physicians worldwide, almost all of whom owned mobile phones, would benefit from virtual access to comprehensive, up-to-date medical information. Back in California, he founded KidsCareEverywhere (KCE), a nonprofit charity, to donate the software and empower doctors in the low-income world.
In 2013, PEMSoft was acquired by EBSCO, a multi-national information services company in Ipswich, MA, and EBSCO has generously supported continued donations of the software through KCE since then. Over 18 years, KCE has gifted medical software to doctors in public hospitals in 25 countries on three continents: Africa, South America and Asia and trained over 10,000 doctors.
Leigh Hafrey
Board Member
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After two too-short years as a transfer into the Class of ’73, Leigh went on to a Ph.D. in comparative literature at Yale. Professional stops after that included consulting in the U.S., associated teaching for the U.S. Census Bureau and USAID in Africa, writing instruction at M.I.T., and several years as a staff editor at The New York Times Book Review. During that decade-plus, Leigh published fiction and non-fiction translations from French and German and feature articles, essays, reviews, and interviews in The New York Times and other periodicals.The birth of a first child ended a Cambridge-Manhattan weekend commute for Leigh and his wife, Sandra Naddaff ’75/ Ph.D. ’83, and launched him into business education, first at HBS and then, in 1995, at MIT Sloan School of Management. At Sloan, Leigh teaches ethics, leadership, sustainability, and communication, and has written two books on those subjects: The Story of Success: Five Steps to Mastering Ethics in Business (2005) and War Stories: Fighting, Competing, Imagining, Leading (2016); since the mid-90s, he has also moderated many seminars for the Aspen Institute, an international educational and policy studies organization focused on values-driven leadership. From 1993 to 2010, Leigh and Sandra co-Mastered Mather House, where they brought up their sons, Nathaniel ’08 (Lowell) and Ben ’13 (Winthrop).
Jerome Harris
Board Member
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After Harvard (A.B., Social Relations), Jerome Harris attended New England Conservatory of Music as a scholarship undergraduate student in jazz guitar, graduating with honors in 1977. His ongoing career as a performing artist began in 1978 as bass guitarist for the iconic saxophonist Sonny Rollins; from 1988 to 1994 he was Rollins’ guitarist. He has worked with Jack DeJohnette, David Krakauer, Amina Claudine Myers, Bill Frisell, Paul Motian, Martha Redbone, Julius Hemphill, Leni Stern, David Amram, Don Byron, Ned Rothenberg, and other leading figures in jazz and jazz-adjacent music genres. Jerome has taught at Hampshire College, William Paterson University, Lehman College (City University of New York), and the Alternative Guitar Summit Summer Camp. His published writings include the essays “Considering Jaki Byard” (Sound American SA22, Anthology of Recorded Music, Inc.) and “Jazz on the Global Stage,” in the anthology The African Diaspora: A Musical Perspective (Routledge), edited by Ingrid Monson, Quincy Jones Professor of African American Music at Harvard. As part of New England Conservatory’s celebration of the 40th anniversary of its jazz studies program—the first such fully accredited program at a music conservatory—Jerome conceived and organized the colloquium “Living Time”: George Russell’s Musical Life and Legacy, an in-depth examination of the career of innovative composer/bandleader/theorist/longtime NEC faculty member George Russell (1923-2009). This event was a major reappraisal of Russell’s career and his critical contributions to African American improvisational art music. Since 2020, Jerome has helped to lead Music Workers Alliance, an advocacy and activism organization dedicated to improving the economic and cultural viability of America’s independent music performers, creators, DJs and sound engineers through collective action.
Dan Hoffheimer
Board Member
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A former president of both the Cincinnati Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association, Cincinnati chapter, Dan Hoffheimer has practiced law with Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP since 1976, where he is now Of Counsel. His law practice has varied over the years through trial and appellate litigation, immigration law, domestic relations, estate planning, trust, and probate law, and charitable and nonprofit organization law. He earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard College in 1973 and his law degree in 1976 from the University of Virginia Law School, where he was Editor in Chief of the Virginia Journal of International Law. Dan is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and is Board Certified as a Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by the Ohio State Bar Association Specialty Board. He is admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, to the Supreme Court of Ohio, and to numerous other courts.
In addition, Dan currently serves on the Board of Advisors of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, as Chair of the Board of Linton Chamber Music, on the Advisory Board of Cincinnati Public Radio, Inc. (WGUC, WVXU), the Dean’s Council of the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati, the Advisory Board of The Seven Hills School, and on other nonprofit organization and bar association committees. He has served on many nonprofit boards including as Chair of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Co-Founder and Presiding Chair of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Chair of Cincinnati Public Radio, Vice-Chair of the Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati, President of Kehal Kodesh Bene Israel/Rockdale Temple, and Vice President of the Jewish Community Relations Council. He has served as legal counsel to many charitable and nonprofit organizations and political campaigns, including two candidates for President of the United States, as Legal Counsel to the Cincinnati AIDS Commission and to The Greater Cincinnati Foundation. Dan is the author of many articles on legal and other subjects, and has received honors or citations from the American Bar Foundation, Ohio State Bar Association, Cincinnati Bar Association, Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, and Supreme Court of Ohio.
Vivian Lewis
Board Member
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Vivian Lewis M.D. (AB ’73) is a professor emerita of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, where she has served in several leadership roles in the medical school and the university focused on promoting a more diverse and inclusive faculty and future healthcare workforce. She has numerous publications in the medical literature and has held leadership roles in the National Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and been part of advisory panels for the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Lewis is also a certified leadership coach whose current research focuses on mentoring and professional development – especially for underrepresented minorities and women in the sciences. She is a graduate of Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and a current member of their alumni association board of directors. Her other volunteer activities include the Harvard Club of Rochester and the Black Physicians Network of Greater Rochester.
Henrietta Lodge
Board Member
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After close to 40 years as a school social worker helping middle and high school students and their families navigate the challenges of adolescence, Henrietta retired in 2019, just before the pandemic changed everything. Her plans for travel were put on hold, but the opportunity to join ClassACT’s communications committee that year came at a perfect time. “I have been passionate about making a difference for individuals, families, communities and the world since college. Being on the communication committee has provided me with a way to make a difference while staying home. I am pleased to be asked to become a member of ClassACT’s Board and look forward to becoming more involved. I am convinced that ClassACT is a ‘movement’ for positive change to be duplicated across Harvard/Radcliffe classes and other institutions.”
Henrietta grew up in Ipswich, MA and moved to New York in 1976. She has been married to Peter Lodge (Colgate ’72) for 41 years. They have two sons, John (1983) and Ben (1988).
Stanley Mark
Vice-Chair
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Soon after graduation, Stan Mark spent a year in New York City working at Chase Manhattan Bank and Cravath Swain & Moore before heading back to Boston to attend Harvard Business School. In the summer of 1976, after receiving his MBA, he embarked on a merchandising career in retailing starting with Macy’s California, Burdine’s of Florida and Cache before co-founding a retail advertising agency in the mid-1980’s with offices in Toronto, Cambridge and Seattle. Stan eventually moved to Seattle in 1990 and started a direct marketing firm that served clients such as Nordstrom, The Bon Marche (Macys), Costco, Starbucks and other retail clients. Today he is still providing database marketing services to an array of clients in the retail, telecom, travel and financial services industries. Stan has been involved the HAA since graduation serving on the Schools Committee in each of the cities where he has resided. He has served as the President of the Harvard Club of Seattle as well as the President of the Harvard Business School Club of Puget Sound; in addition, Stan served a three-year term as the HAA Regional Director of the Pacific Northwest. He has also served on the boards of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and Seattle, The Jewish Transcript newspaper of Washington State, The Bathhouse Theater and the environmental organization, People for Puget Sound. Stan and his wife, Paula Prewett, live in Seattle and have two daughters.
Bahman Mossavar-Rahmani
Board Member
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Bahman Mossavar-Rahmani is the CEO and co-founder of UAS Asset Management, a wealth management firm launched in New York in 1987. UAS manages investment portfolios for high net worth clients, foundations and institutions. Prior to UAS he co-founded Connecticut Securities, a fixed income firm in Hartford. Between graduating from Harvard College in 1973 and receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School Bahman returned to Iran to lead the initial computerization initiatives at Citibank's Iranian affiliate. His keen interest in worthwhile causes led to writing and speaking publicly about various basic rights he felt strongly about--- for instance personal freedoms, democratic values and women's rights. At age 29 he ran for a seat in Iran's Parliament, risking being imprisoned in 1980 along with other progressive party leaders. He subsequently moved to the US and became a US citizen. His interest in helping Iranian causes continued by his support of Iranian artists whose works feature contemporary social themes. Additionally, UAS has supported Iranian art exhibits in the US including the Iran Modern exhibit at the Asia Society and the Global/Local exhibit at New York University's Grey Gallery. Bahman was previously a member of the Board of Managers and chaired the admissions and nominating committees of the Harvard Club of New York. His wife, Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani '77, Ph.D., a fellow Harvard alum, is a nutrition scientist on the faculty of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She served as an investigator in the Women's Health Initiative, a landmark study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Bahman looks forward to supporting ClassACT as it represents many of his existing interests.
Carl Muller
Co-Founder and Board Member
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Carl left a South Carolina farm in 1969 to go to Harvard College, and then Harvard Law School and Business School. He returned to his home state to practice law, and has done so ever since. Carl is a distinguished attorney with broad experience across the law, notably defending constitutional freedoms of speech and the press. He has deep roots in his community and has long been active in public service, protecting the right to free legal aid as Chairman of South Carolina Legal Services and advocating for equal access to quality K-12 public education. He has also been continuously engaged with Harvard, most recently as President of the Harvard Alumni Association. Carl is one of the founders of ClassACT.
Jonathan Sprague
Co-Founder and Board Member
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After receiving his undergraduate degree, Jonathan received his master degree in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health. He then completed an Advanced Fellowship in Health Administration in the Presidents’ Offices of the American Hospital Association and Blue Cross Association. He founded and became President of the Northland Health Group and later created and became President of Rocky Coast Consulting (RCC) a national consulting firm, located in Bangor, Maine, where he grew up. His career has been focused on providing planning and other support to improve health and health systems, and to improve access to and the quality of health care across the country, with special emphasis on rural communities. Jonathan has also served in leadership roles, currently as a member of the Bangor City Council and formerly several civic organizations, including a symphony orchestra, a Girl Scout Council, and his church. He is one of the founders of ClassACT and member of the Board.
Therese Steiner
Co-Founder and Board Member
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After receiving her undergraduate degree, Therese earned a Certificat D’Etudes en Sculpture from the Academie Julien in Paris, France and a M.F.A. from Columbia University. She is the Founder and President of Therese Steiner Consulting and is a management consultant with media, non-profit and creative organizations. Therese has worked with senior executives and leadership teams with a variety of clients including: ABC Radio, ABCNews.com, AOL , ESPN, ESPN Deportes, J.P. Morgan, Julie Foudy, PBS, Seriouseats.com, Sesame Workshop, Showtime Networks, and Viacom. Prior to consulting, Therese served as Deputy Director of the Production Center at WNET/13 in New York, the flagship PBS station, responsible for the development, production and distribution of WNET’s national programming portfolio, such as Great Performances, Nature, The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour and American Masters. Therese was a Field Producer on the Emmy, Peabody and Christopher Award winning series Heritage: Civilization and the Jews, with Abba Eban. In addition to serving on the founding Board of Class Act HR73, Therese is Vice-Chair of Classic Stage Company, a non-profit theater in New York, and on the Board of JusticeAid—a ClassACT bridge project.
Rick Weil
Board Member
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Rick is a professor of sociology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. After college at Harvard (’73), he went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for a year and then returned to Harvard for a PhD in sociology (’81). He was an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Chicago before moving to LSU. He conducted research on transitions to democracy in Germany after Hitler and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, as well as other countries in Europe, with two National Science Foundation research grants. As of the mid-1990s, he has been doing research on community in America. Since Hurricane Katrina (2005), he has studied community recovery and neighborhood change in New Orleans with two more NSF grants, conducting surveys, making videos, and partnering with over 200 community groups and nonprofits. While assisting recovery of the New Orleans cultural community, he helped Derrick Tabb start the Roots of Music after school music program for disadvantaged middle school kids, and has been working with Sue Press, president of the Ole and Nu Style Fellas social aid and pleasure club and her Association for Better Historic Communities. Both Derrick's and Sue's organizations focus on grass-roots mentoring of disadvantaged children and grass-roots culture, and both are ClassACT Bridge projects. Rick subsequently extended this work with grass-roots mentoring in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Chicago. He has an on-going project on "neighborhood portraits" in New Orleans, in which he conducts long-form oral histories and makes photographs. Since spring 2020, he has been researching community response to the Covid pandemic, conducting in-depth interviews with community leaders and members, again with an NSF grant. Along the way, he has been a cartoonist/printmaker/animator and played guitar and harmonica. He has three amazing grown daughters: a photographer, an artist, and a computer scientist. Some of his work can be seen at www.rickweil.com.
Kevin Crane
General Counsel and Clerk
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After receiving his undergraduate degree from Harvard College, Kevin received his J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1977. He was elected to the Cambridge City Council in November of 1977 and reelected in November of 1979 and chose not to seek reelection as he decided to focus entirely on his private law practice. He has maintained a private law practice since 1977 initially practicing with his brother Daniel '72 and father Edward '35. Kevin's son Edward now practices with him. The law office has been located in Harvard Square since 1981. His law practice concentrates on estates, real estate, and local zoning and regulatory matters. He remains engaged in local political matters in his native Cambridge. Kevin serves as General Counsel/ Clerk of ClassACT.
