Attorney, philanthropist, and Class of '72 stalwart Rob Shapiro won Harvard's highest honor at Commencement on May 24. This the bio that appeared in the Commencement program.
Robert N. Shapiro is a deeply committed and loyal Harvard University citizen who has truly embraced the theme of "one Harvard." He has served with great distinction in numerous capacities, spanning the Harvard and Radcliffe Class of 1972, the HAA, the Harvard Law School Association (HLSA), and University governance.
A former Lt. Charles H. Fiske III Scholarship recipient, which sent him to study at Trinity College, Cambridge, he is a longtime member and former chair of the HAA's Harvard-Cambridge Scholarships Committee, which is responsible for selecting the scholars each year from among Harvard's graduating seniors.
Shapiro served as the president of the HAA from 1991 to 1992 and as president of the HLSA from 2000 to 2002. In 1996 he received the HAA Alumni Award, recognizing his longtime service and leadership to alumni and the HAA. As a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers from 1996 to 2012 and vice chair of the board from 2011 to 2012, he served on 12 different visiting committees. He was an Overseer member of the Harvard Corporation's governance review committee in 2010 and the subsequent search committee for new Corporation members. In addition, he currently serves on the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study's Dean's Advisory Council and Harvard Divinity School's Leadership Council.
His career began at the Boston law firm Ropes & Gray in 1979. A partner in the private client group from 1987 until 2016, Shapiro now serves as the chief executive officer of Ropes Wealth Advisors. He is also president of the trustees of the Peabody Essex Museum. He lives in Cambridge, Masschusetts.