Process & Administrative Transformation at Harvard

View of Weeks Footbridge from bank of the Charles River

 

“Our strength as a university lies not only in the excellence of our scholarship but in the effectiveness of the systems that support it. By coming together to examine how we work, we can uncover opportunities to simplify, modernize, and collaborate in ways that best support the University’s core mission.”

  - Meredith Weenick, Executive Vice President

 

Process and Administrative Transformation at Harvard (PATH)

Executive Vice President Meredith Weenick has assembled a volunteer group of Administrative Deans, along with University CFO and several subject matter experts, and tasked them with pursuing opportunities to improve operational efficiency, effectiveness, and services that generate meaningful cost savings. 

This cross-University task force is focused on identifying opportunities for greater collaboration and operational improvements across the University.

This Fall, PATH formally launched its beta phase, focusing on supporting a number of efficiency and cost savings projects getting underway or already in flight across various schools and units. PATH’s focus is on information sharing and providing direct support to project teams to help remove constraints that can prevent streamlined, cross-school and cross-unit engagement. The goals are multi-faceted as we want to undertake necessary process improvements in the way we work, in order to help reduce costs smartly where we can, to streamline our operations while maintaining, if not improving service levels.

 

PATH Purpose Statement

With sponsorship of the Executive Vice President, act as a central Harvard hub in pursuit of opportunities to improve operational efficiency, effectiveness, and service that generate meaningful cost savings. 

 

PATH FAQs                                                            

 

PATH Task Force Members

Tim Bowman 

Dean for Administration and Finance, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences 

Jack Jennings 

Executive Dean for Administration, Graduate School of Education 

Mary Ann Bradley 

Associate Dean for Administrative Operations, FAS 

Ritu Kalra 

Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Finance

Jen Dilts 

Assistant Vice President of Finance, Office of Financial Strategy and Planning 

Josh McIntosh 

Executive Dean, Harvard Kennedy School

Fritz Foley

André R. Jakurski Professor of Business Administration

Lisa Muto 

Executive Dean for Administration, Harvard Medical School 

Katherine Gates 

Chief of Staff to the FAS Dean of Administration and Finance 

L. Tracee Whitley (PATH Chair)

Dean for Administration, Harvard Law School    

Mark Goble 

Administrative Dean, Graduate School of Design 

 

 

PATH Task Force Staff

  • Danielle Frankel, Senior Organization Development Consultant and Executive Coach, Center for Workplace Development, HHR
  • Sarah Madden, Chief of Staff to Executive Vice President

  • Emily Vetter, Project Manager, Central Project Management Office      

                      

How to Reach Us

You can reach the PATH Task Force by emailing pathadmintransformation@harvard.edu. Please email with any questions or feedback

Share Ideas or Notice of Ongoing Projects

As we move through this early phase of work, we continue to gather ideas and share information about projects across multiple schools or units. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with suggestions or to share information about work already underway via PATH's Submission Form.