The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend Board of Overseers) is one of Harvard University's two governing boards. Although its function is more consultative and less hands-on than the President and Fellows of Harvard College, the Board of Overseers is sometimes referred to as the "senior" governing board because its formation predates the fellows' 1650 incorporation.
Today there are 30 overseers, all directly elected by alumni; at one point the board was self-perpetuating. Originally the overseers included, ex officio, the public officials and puritan clergy of Cambridge and the neighboring towns (hence the "honorable and reverend" of the title). Today, the President and the Treasurer of Harvard are ex officio members of the Board.
Each year, Harvard alumni elect five new overseers to serve six-year terms. Overseers candidates are nominated by the Harvard Alumni Association, and those not nominated by the HAA (petition candidates) must gather signatures from Harvard alumni to appear on the ballot.
Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. quipped famously of the election of John F. Kennedy, his son, to the Board in 1957: "Now I know his religion won't keep him out of the White House. If an Irish Catholic can get elected as an Overseer at Harvard, he can get elected to anything."
Read more about Harvard Board Of Overseers: Functions, Current Overseers, Petition Candidates
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