In a signal of the expertise now steering one of the world's leading research institutions, the MIT Corporation has elected ten full-term members and two life members to the board of trustees, adding accomplished leaders in AI, healthcare, engineering, and technology to guide the Institute through 2026 and beyond.
The election — announced by Corporation Chair Mark P. Gorenberg '76 — brings together a notably accomplished cohort. Among them is Kate A. Bergeron '93, vice president of hardware engineering at Apple, who joined the company in 2002 and was elected to the National Academy of Engineers in 2025. Elizabeth Choe, a recent PhD graduate from MIT whose doctoral work focused on brain cancer therapies at the Koch Institute, now directs AI strategy for translational medicine at AstraZeneca, where she oversees the deployment of biomedical deep-learning models for cancer drug development. Kevin B. Churchwell '83 arrives as CEO of Boston Children's Hospital, where he leads clinical care, research, medical education, and community engagement across one of the nation's premier pediatric institutions.
The new board composition reflects MIT's mission at a moment when technology, medicine, and enterprise leadership intersect most urgently. Bennett W. Golub '79, one of eight people who founded the global asset management company BlackRock in 1988, joins as both a reminder of MIT's outsized influence on industry and a voice on enterprise risk management. Stephen P. DeFalco '83 brings three decades of leadership experience across manufacturing, life sciences, and medical devices, now serving as executive chair of Creation Technologies. Pearl S. Huang '80, CEO and president of Dunad Therapeutics, represents the growing ranks of MIT alumni launching breakthrough biotech ventures.
The other full-term members elected are Steve Isakowitz, Adrianna C. Ma, Pamela Melroy, and Alex Morcos. Ray A. Rothrock and Eran Broshy were elected as life members. David L. Fung '85, the newly elected president of the Association of Alumni and Alumnae of MIT, will also join the Corporation as an ex officio member beginning July 1, 2026.
As of that date, the full Corporation will number 75 distinguished leaders, with 22 life members, eight ex officio members, and an additional 33 life members emeritus. The board's expansion underscores the Institute's commitment to drawing on the broadest possible range of expertise as it navigates pivotal questions about artificial intelligence, climate change, global health, and the future of manufacturing and energy.
For many of these new trustees, MIT connection runs deep and personal. Bergeron co-developed and co-taught MIT's D-Lab: Design for Scale course. Choe served as a graduate resident advisor and participated in the Presidential Search Committee during her doctoral studies. Their elections signal not just external achievement but a willingness to remain invested in the Institute's mission and culture. The board's generational mix — spanning from recent PhD graduates to founders of global institutions — reflects both continuity and the changing landscape of leadership itself, where technological fluency and scientific grounding are no longer optional credentials for those steering major organizations.