Women Leaders Headline 2018 MBA Commencement Addresses
With spring fully in sway, classes have come to an end on many leading business school campuses, and commencement activities fill weekend after weekend from now through June. The roster of speakers top schools invite to send their MBA graduates off into the world can be revealing.
Graduation speakers are typically invited to impart hard-earned wisdom and present words of encouragement to MBA classes, and this year is no exception in that regard. More exceptional, though, is the number of women delivering the headlining speeches.
Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and Co-Founder of Ellevest at NYU Stern
NYU’s Stern School of Business selected Sallie Krawcheck to headline its 2018 Graduate Convocation ceremony on Friday May 18.
Krawcheck is currently CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, an investment firm designed for women, which “aims to serve women [investors’] needs…using an algorithm tailored specifically to women’s incomes and life cycles.”
Sallie Krawcheck / Photo Ellevest
The company has racked up a slew of accolades, among them inclusion in both Nerdwallet’s “Best Robo Advisors of 2018” and Entrepreneur Magazine’s “100 Brilliant Ideas of 2017.”
In a preview of her speech, Krawcheck spoke about our “tumultuous and confusing times,” challenging individuals to evaluate their own personal “ideas of ethical leadership and who we really are,” as well as the ways in which we consider our careers as they relate to our responsibility to the world around us.
“We have to decide if we’re going to be that person who does the right thing. We have to decide if we’re going to commit to equality, to diversity, and to using the power of business to make the world a better place.”
Vice Chairwoman of Morgan Stanley Carla Harris at Harvard Business School
On May 23, Harvard Business School welcomed Morgan Stanley Vice Chairwoman Carla Harris, whose distinguished career spans three decades.
Carla Harris / Photo via Fast Comapny
Harris has been named to Fortune’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America” and its “Most Influential List” and appeared in similar lists in wide-ranging publications including U.S. Banker, Black Enterprise, Essence Magazine, and Ebony.
Harris has also received honorary doctorates from seven different institutions including Marymount Manhattan College, Jacksonville University, and Simmons College.
Instagram COO Marne Levine at Michigan Ross
One of the first commencement addresses of the season took place on Friday, April 27, at Michigan’s Ross School of Business, where Instagram’s Chief Operating Officer Marne Levine delivered a rousing headlining speech.
Ross Dean Scott DeRue introduced Levine with remarks about her inspirational career and commitment to her work’s impact on society. DeRue added that he sought to invite someone “who role models the leadership we aspire to.” He also praised Levine’s “transformative and positive impact on how we live, work, and interact with each other.”
Marne Levine / Photo via Collective Hub
With more than 700 million users worldwide, Instagram has become an iconic brand due in no small part to Levine’s efforts to scale the company’s business and operations at a global level.
She has been COO at Instagram since 2014 and before that served as VP of global public policy with parent company Facebook. Levine’s roots, however, are in the political arena: She worked in the Obama administration as chief of staff of the National Economic Council, worked under Harvard President Larry Summers, and began her career in the Department of the Treasury during Bill Clinton’s presidency.
You can watch Levine’s speech below.
This article has been edited and republished with permissions from our sister site, Clear Admit.
Harvard Business, Wharton NYU Stern Commencement Speakers Announced
As spring fully arrives, so do the business school announcements for commencement day. Clear Admit has already discussed the graduation speakers you can expect at Michigan Ross and Stanford GSB. Now, Harvard Business School, Wharton, and NYU Stern have also announced their graduation speakers.
Harvard Commencement
At Harvard Business School, Carla Harris, vice chairman of Morgan Stanley, will deliver the MBA Class Day address. Harris (MBA ’87) has worked for three decades at Morgan Stanley, holding influential positions in mergers and acquisitions as well as equity capital markets. She’s also active at the university as a member of the Harvard University Board of Overseers. In addition, Harris is the focus of an HBS case study about emerging female and minority asset managers.
- Date: Wednesday, May 23, 2018
- Location: Baker Lawn
Wharton Graduation
Hamdi Ulukaya, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Chobani, LCC, will speak at the Wharton MBA graduation ceremony. Raised in eastern Turkey, Ulukaya launched Chobani in 2007 with the goal of making good food more accessible. Within five years, Chobani had become the number one best-selling Greek yogurt brand in the United States. Beyond his business success, Ulukaya has also had a positive impact on communities through donations to charities, innovative profit-sharing, and paid parental leave.
- Date: Sunday, May 13, 2018
- Location: The Palestra
NYU Stern Commencement
At NYU Stern, graduates can expect to hear from keynote speaker Sallie Krawcheck, the CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, a newly launched digital investment platform for women. Beyond her entrepreneurial work at Ellevest, Krawcheck is the chair of Ellevate Network, a global professional women’s network, and Pax Ellevate Global Women’s Index Fund, which invests in companies that advance women. She’s also a best-selling author and previously served as CEO of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Smith Barney, and Sanford Bernstein.
- Date: Friday, May 18, 2018
- Location: Theater at Madison Square Garden
