CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Massachusetts Governor and former Harvard women's basketball team co-captain Maura Healey '92 recently sat down with Erin McDermott, The John D. Nichols '53 Family Director of Athletics, at the Massachusetts State House to discuss a variety of topics, including the 50
th anniversary of Title IX and National Girls & Women in Sports Day.
A four-year letterwinner, Healey was a point guard for the Crimson and helped lead Harvard to the 1991 Ivy League title. More recently, the 1991-92 co-captain was sworn in as the 73
rd governor of Massachusetts on Jan. 5, 2023, becoming the first woman and first openly LGBTQ person elected governor in state history.
Q&A with Maura Healey '92
(This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.)
McDermott: Some people may not know your path to Harvard. Can you tell us where you grew up and what the process was like for you upon arriving at Harvard?
Healey: I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire and I'm the oldest of five, went to public school, and I had done pretty well in the classroom and really, really loved athletics. I played three sports through high school. Basketball was my passion, and so I was looking for a chance to go play Division I after high school. I ultimately was recruited by Harvard, had the chance to go to Harvard and was really drawn to Harvard because I thought as a student-athlete, there was no place to have a better experience. That's what led me to Harvard. Looking back, I'm really grateful that I had the opportunity to get in and to play and to go to school there, to form the friendships that are with me to this day. It's been a really, really special place to me.
McDermott: Would you say that your participation on the Harvard women's basketball team has provided a line to your opportunity and position as governor?
Healey: Absolutely. Though at the time when I was in school and playing ball and going to class, I never could have imagined being a politician, never wanted to be a politician, never thought or imagined that I would run for office. At Harvard, I was surrounded by any number of classmates who expected to run for office, who made it clear they wanted to run for office. But for me at the time, that just wasn't even in my mind's eye. I think that athletics has been so important to me and the lessons through athletics have really helped me get to where I am. I know that without athletics, I wouldn't have learned what I learned about teamwork, hard work, setting goals, getting after it day in and day out. You don't just show up and win an election just like you don't show up and win a game. There's a whole season and pre-season that goes into that. You learn how to cope with loss and setback and failure and persevere. And for me, you learn a lot about teamwork, and I think to get things done, it's all about teamwork, whether you're in politics or whether you're in a corporate setting, whatever realm. And finally, about athletics, and particularly, I think as a female athlete, something about athletics gave me incredible opportunities to build confidence and self-esteem. I know I never would have had the courage to step out and run for office, give my first speech, talk to voters if I hadn't had the experience of stepping up to the foul line on a one-and-one or stepping onto the court at the start of a game and just putting yourself out there. I think those lessons from athletics are lessons that I draw upon every single day in this job.
McDermott: You mentioned not having an inkling about public service, but what about law? When you arrived at Harvard, did you think that was a pathway?
Healey: I arrived at Harvard just feeling so lucky to be pulling into Harvard Yard to be meeting kids from all over the world, not just all over the country. And as I say, for somebody who grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, this was just so eye-opening. So, I really was focused during my time at Harvard on my classes, basketball and friendships and having a good time. I knew I wanted to do something that was related to the public interest. I thought at some point I would go to law school and ultimately, I deferred for a couple of years. I had a chance to play ball overseas, but I did return to what I thought I might do, which was to go to law school.
McDermott: It is great for our current student-athletes and other students to hear that people don't necessarily arrive at Harvard knowing exactly what they want to do. There is a lot of pressure on them and for you to have a process of discovery, that is great to hear.
Healey: I think it's so important and I say this to young people all the time: I didn't know what I wanted to do when I was 18, 19, 20, 22, 24 years old. And I think that's okay. I would just say be open to experiencing life, be open to taking on challenges, be open to doing things that are unconventional. There are a lot of people who will tell you that's not the path. Or in order to get here, you need to do X, Y, and Z. I would just say, follow what it is that got you to Harvard. Follow what it is that got you to play Division I athletics. It's about following your passion and following your heart. I just don't think you can go wrong doing that.
McDermott: This year is the 50
th anniversary of Title IX. How did you feel the impact of Title IX in your experience as a student-athlete at Harvard?
Healey: I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Title IX. Title IX was the landmark legislation that made it possible for girls like me to have the same experiences as boys when it came to athletics and obviously it extends beyond athletics. But for me, as an athlete, the whole name of the game was Title IX. I think it's only in hindsight that I appreciate that, having come to know many women, either as former coaches or just people I have come to know who didn't have the benefit of Title IX and what a very different experience they had. So, I'm always grateful to the trailblazers, to the people who played before me, who made it possible, to the advocates who, day in and day out, including the coaches, including my former coach at Harvard, Kathy Delaney-Smith, advocates for women's equality. I find it important to raise it when I'm talking with young women and girls today in this moment, and especially student-athletes, to ask them, "Hey, do you know about Title IX?" because they need to know about Title IX. We can't take for granted any rights or advances. We have to be really vigilant about staying true to the fight for equality and opportunity. I think it's really important that we take the time this year to celebrate and really recommit to what Title IX is all about.
McDermott: You brought up Kathy Delaney-Smith and she has been a leader and advocate in women's equality. What impression did it leave on you having a female head coach at that time?
Healey: Kathy Delaney-Smith was and is a trailblazer. She's a great coach, of course, but she was more than just a great coach. She really was a trailblazer. I think back at the fights that Kathy waged on behalf of so many young girls and women throughout her career, the advances that she was able to make for equality, I'm just really, really grateful. And she's certainly earned her retirement. She's given so much to the sport and to the fight for equality. It was important for me to see a mentor, a woman mentor, a woman coach. I'd had terrific male coaches, of course, prior to that, but it was really important to see for me, at that age, 17 years old, arriving on campus, to have this strong woman who was the coach.
McDermott: With National Girls & Women in Sports Day being on Feb. 1, what advice would you give to a young Maura Healey?
Healey: I would say don't be afraid. I think looking back for me, there were times where I felt afraid. I felt insecure. It's part of what you go through growing up. Looking back, I feel like, how could I have been afraid? I would just say to young girls in particular, be brave, don't be afraid. It is a hard world out there and there are going to be a lot of things that will get in your way or people who may try to get in your way. But just keep moving ahead and believe in yourself. Believe in yourself and believe in one another.
McDermott: Many former Harvard women's basketball players have gone on and been leaders in many different areas, professions and industries. Do you think being a college athlete has helped get people into those different positions and be more comfortable stepping up and stepping out, and taking on that responsibility?
Healey: To play Division I sports, to play sports in college generally, I think you have to be somebody who's really motivated, hardworking, willing to put the time in. Through athletics, you learn a lot about leadership. You learn about not being afraid, what it means to step on the field, to step on the court, to step on the ice. All those experiences just make you stronger, especially experiences through athletics where it's not easy. You don't just show up. You have to spend so much time in the pool, in the weight room, running and the like. That's what builds you as not just an athlete, but as a person. So, when your playing days end, so to speak, you're still left with those reserves, right? That muscle memory of grit and determination and teamwork and discipline and a confidence. Those things, I think, serve athletes well out there, in particular, women athletes because as you leave school and you go out into the world, you're going to be confronting any number of new experiences and also forces sometimes that you're going to have to fight against. I think that's why so many women athletes have excelled in their fields is because they've had the benefit of some of those experiences that prepare them to meet that moment.
McDermott: What is the transferrable skill set that you feel you have taken from being an athlete to being in public service?
Healey: I think it's a couple of things. One, for me, I played team sports. I loved team sports. But for me, I think about the problems that we confront today. People who don't have enough to eat, don't know how they're going to pay their bills, can't afford housing, or struggling with health care, struggling with issues of mental health. To get our arms around those problems and deliver solutions for people requires teamwork. People working together, not just across the aisle, but inside and outside of government. And so, as an athlete, I come to this, and I was a point guard, very much in the spirit of teamwork. Let's do this together. Everybody has their role, their responsibility, their position, and together we'll just get this done. I think that matters. I also think that playing sports, you learn a lot about feelings because it's tough. You have losses, you have injuries, you have setbacks, you have moments of total celebration as well, and you're connected with one another. I think for me, in public service, it's important to be able to connect with one another, find that commonality of humanity and experience and really work towards transcending, as you do in a season. These things are, I think, transferable when it comes to the work I do now. And finally, I'd say goal setting. I think you play, and you start a season with a goal in mind and you're working day in and day out to achieve individual goals, to achieve team goals and it's the same way when it comes to public service and work. You're here for a reason and for as limited as a time it may be, you want to try to make the most of that experience and that time. I am just so grateful to athletics. I'm grateful to Harvard Athletics for what it gave me and what it continues to give me.
McDermott: Governor Healey, thank you so much for your time. It has been wonderful to be able to spend some minutes with you. Hopefully, this was a more fun part of your day. I know they're jam-packed, so I really appreciate you giving us some time. I just want you to know Crimson Nation is definitely behind you and we wish you all very well.
Healey: Thank you. It's great to be with you and I look forward to getting over for some games.
