Philanthropist Shelly Nemirovsky named USC trustee

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Philanthropist and USC alumna Shelly Nemirovsky ’85 was elected to the USC Board of Trustees on Feb. 3. Nemirovsky is a member of the USC President’s Leadership Council.

“Shelly Nemirovsky’s steadfast commitment to education is a cornerstone of her philanthropy and has contributed greatly to the success of the Leadership Council,” USC President C. L. Max Nikias said. “The board will benefit tremendously from her perspective as a dedicated member of the USC community.”

Committed to educational causes, Nemirovsky also serves as vice chair and secretary of the board of trustees of the Buckingham Browne Nichols K-12 day school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She chaired its Opening Minds fundraising campaign, helping to exceed its $62 million fundraising goal. She and her husband Ofer have a daughter and two sons who attend the school.

In 2012, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District 1 recognized Nemirovsky with its Distinguished Friend of Education Award. Her other philanthropic interests include serving on the board of an organization formed to restore and enhance the Charles River Esplanade in her hometown of Boston. She also worked in a fundraising capacity for four years for an organization that assists downtown Boston families, and serves on the board of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

Her husband is the recently retired senior director of HarbourVest Partners, a private equity firm he joined in 1986. During his 29-year tenure, he has concentrated on direct co-investments and encouraged the firm’s early focus on software companies. He is a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, his undergraduate alma mater.

After graduating from USC, Nemirovsky worked in the financial services industry before leaving to devote her time to family. In the early 1990s, she opened an interior design business. The couple currently resides in Boston.