Dr. Kimberlyn Leary Inducted as an Honorary Member of Sigma Gamma Rho

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. continues to honor women of extraordinary achievement and impact, announcing today that Dr. Kimberlyn Leary is one of its newest honorary members. Dr. Leary has been inducted as part of the “Essence of Sisterhood Honorary Membership Class,” a distinguished line that celebrates trailblazers whose work exemplifies the sorority’s values of sisterhood, scholarship, and service.

The announcement was made Saturday morning on Sigma Gamma Rho’s official social media channels, where members and supporters expressed pride in welcoming Dr. Leary into the sisterhood.

Dr. Leary’s career reflects a powerful commitment to advancing equity, improving mental health, and shaping public policy. She currently serves as Executive Vice President at the Urban Institute and as a Senior Advisor at New America. This fall, she will join the faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School as an Emma Bloomberg Lecturer in Policy and Management. Her influence extends across sectors, with advisory roles at the Gates Foundation and the Boston Foundation, and prior service as an advisor to the National Math and Science Initiative.

In addition to her leadership in public policy, Dr. Leary holds academic appointments as an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She directs the “Enabling Change” program and serves as executive director of the Center of Excellence in Women’s Mental Health at McLean Hospital.

Dr. Leary’s expertise has also been called upon at the highest levels of government. She served in the Obama Administration as an advisor to the White House Council on Women and Girls, where she helped launch the “Advancing Equity” initiative to improve life outcomes for women and girls of color. In the Biden Administration, she contributed as a senior advisor to the Domestic Policy Council and as a fellow in the Office of Management and Budget.

Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Amherst College, a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan, and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University. She also trained as a psychoanalyst at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute.

Dr. Leary joins a remarkable honorary membership line that includes basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes, gospel singer Tasha Page Lockhart, and writer and advocate Maui Bigelow. The induction underscores Sigma Gamma Rho’s commitment to recognizing leaders who embody its mission of empowering communities and advancing positive change.

We at Watch The Yard would like to give Dr. Kimberlyn Leary a warm welcome to Black greekdom.