The Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program honored its founding Executive Director, Dr. Michael Sinclair, during the closing ceremony of the Forum for Sectoral Ministers this past September. Since its launch in 2011, Michael’s vision and leadership helped grow the Program’s scope from supporting just Health Ministers in its initial years to a broader human development focus that now also includes Ministers of Education, Finance, Economic Planning, Gender, Youth, and Agriculture.

Under Michael’s guidance, 296 Ministers from 70 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America have participated in the Program. The Program held 22 Forums and 9 Roundtable Meetings to continue to support and inform alumni Ministers. To support these initiatives, he raised over $45 million for the Program.

Prior to joining the Harvard faculty, Michael was Senior Vice President at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation for more than 20 years. In that position, he led the Foundation’s extensive efforts to help establish an equitable post-apartheid health system in South Africa. Among many initiatives, Michael also helped establish national scale efforts to combat early childhood malnutrition, legalize termination of pregnancy and establish comprehensive reproductive health services, as well as prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS. His extensive experience made him a logical choice to lead the Program when it was first conceived by then Dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and former Mexican Health Minister, Julio Frenk, along with the generous funding support of Jamie Cooper. Upon taking the reigns as Executive Director, he brought the same high level of passion and tireless effort to ensure the Program was a success.

 “Do you want your legacy to be more than a picture on the wall in the Ministry?” was often a question with which Michael would challenge Ministers to think big. He encouraged Ministers to pursue ambitious policy goals that would have lasting impacts beyond their time in office.

Ministers answered that challenge. Most notably, Ministers mapped action plans during their time at Harvard that resulted in the Saving 1 Million Lives initiative ending polio in Nigeria, increasing national investment in health in Côte d’Ivoire, tobacco tax laws in the Philippines, gender equality legislation in Sierra Leone, education reforms in Ghana making secondary school free across the country, and Ethiopia’s storied health extension program to name a few landmark initiatives. Most Ministers who have participated in the Program report that it has helped them lead their Ministries more effectively.

Michael said, “leading the Harvard Ministerial Program has been an extraordinary opportunity to continue my life-long commitment to Africa. I feel privileged to have been able to get to know and work with so many outstanding public leaders.”

The Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program’s reputation, solid standing, and impact on its participant Ministers and their countries is testament to Michael Sinclair’s legacy at Harvard.

Watch the video honoring Michael here.