#  Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers: Harvard Brazil Office Celebrates 20 Years in São Paulo 

 





September 02, 2026

 

 

   ![mark](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-09/Captura%20de%20tela%202026-09-02%20190840.png?itok=ij-QFE6P) 

 

Mark Elliott, Harvard’s Vice Provost for International AffairsFor two decades, the DRCLAS Brazil Office has helped create lasting connections between Harvard and Brazil through research, teaching, student engagement, and academic partnerships. On August 19, the Harvard community in Brazil – faculty, students, alumni, advisers, donors, local collaborators and partners, staff, and friends – came together at Insper in São Paulo to celebrate this milestone.

The celebration was honored by the presence of Mark Elliott, Harvard’s Vice Provost for International Affairs, who attended as part of a broader visit with institutional partners in São Paulo.

Throughout his visit, the Office’s two-decade role came into focus: creating space for relationships to grow, ideas to circulate, and collaborations to take root.

> “There is no question at all in my mind that the Brazil Office has played an absolutely key role in helping to deepen and enrich Harvard’s connection with Brazil." - Mark Elliott

The evening opened with reflections from leaders and partners who have helped shape different dimensions of the Office’s work.

Helena Monteiro, Executive Director of the Brazil Office, welcomed guests to a celebration centered as much on people as on milestones. Professor Marcia Castro, Chair of the Brazil Studies Program; Patricia Thome, Associate Director of HBS LARC, a long-standing partner of the Office; and Sol Carbonell, Executive Director of DRCLAS, spoke to the breadth of the Harvard-Brazil relationship and the collaborations that have sustained it over time.

One of the first moments of the evening invited guests to look back. Representing the group of 18 fellows, Sharon Ruiz Regino, 2025–26 Brazil Office Fellow, reflected briefly on her experience with the Office before introducing the 20th anniversary institutional video, which premiered during the celebration and will be publicly released in October.

Through voices, images, and memories, the video offered a portrait of a community built through a long-term commitment.

   ![20years](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-09/Captura%20de%20tela%202026-09-02%20190313.png?itok=TYEFqFG5) 

 

Mark Elliott honored Claudio Haddad, Chair of the Brazil Office Advisory GroupThe celebration also paid tribute to someone who has been central to that story. Mark Elliott honored Claudio Haddad (OPM '97), Chair of the Brazil Office Advisory Group, for two decades of leadership, generosity, and long-standing commitment to Harvard. The moment underscored Haddad’s role in supporting the Office from its early years and strengthening its work in Brazil.

   ![20th](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-09/Captura%20de%20tela%202026-09-03%20130213.png?itok=qDtK3ND7) 

 

*Harvard and Brazil: Perspectives on the Past, Present, and Future* PanelistsThe evening then turned toward conversation and the future. Vinicius Pacífico (MPP ’27), representing HBASS, introduced the speakers and moderator for the panel “Harvard and Brazil: Perspectives on the Past, Present, and Future”. Moderated by Ana Paula Martinez (LLM '06), member of the Brazil Office Advisory Group, the conversation brought together Mark Elliott, Marcia Castro, and Aluísio Segurado, Rector of the University of São Paulo, to reflect on how Harvard's engagement with Brazil has evolved, the strength of international collaborations, and where new opportunities for collaboration may emerge.

The conversation then expanded to the broader community, with guests invited to share their hopes for the Office’s next chapter. Their contributions added a personal note to the evening, as many spoke about the lasting impact the Brazil Office has had on the people who have studied, worked, partnered, and grown through it.

The closing remarks brought together two generations of the Harvard community in Brazil. Thaís Gasparian (LLM '17), President of the Harvard Alumni Club of Brazil, and Aini Vincenzi (College '29), reflected on the continuity of the Office’s work and the community that will carry it forward. A toast followed, marking not only the end of the evening, but the beginning of a new chapter.

As the Brazil Office looks ahead, the anniversary served as both a tribute to its first 20 years and an invitation to continue building what has always been at the heart of its mission: a bridge for people, ideas, and collaboration between Harvard and Brazil.



 

 

 

    ![20th](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_3__480x360/public/2026-09/Captura%20de%20tela%202026-09-02%20202829.png?itok=-YoPQhXK) 

 



 

 20th Anniversary Networking Reception



   

 

    ![20th](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_3__480x360/public/2026-09/Captura%20de%20tela%202026-09-02%20203049.png?itok=BbGRip9g) 

 



 

 Local Partners of the Harvard-Brazil Network



   

 

    ![20 years](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_3__480x360/public/2026-09/Captura%20de%20tela%202026-09-02%20190056.png?itok=221FY9ps) 

 



 

 Thiago Picolo (AB ‘01, OPM ‘16), Professor Flavio Calmon and Graciema Bertoletti (MBA ‘99) led the celebratory toast



   

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

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