We are pleased to announce our 2017 Graduation speakers, who offer their expertise in social impact investing, business education and research, venture capitalism, and entrepreneurship:
- Wharton undergraduate alumnus K. Robert “Bobby” Turner, W’84, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Turner Impact Capital LLC
- Bestselling author Adam Grant, Saul P. Steinberg Professor of Management at the Wharton School and Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania
- Wharton undergraduate alumnus Nathaniel “Nat” Snead Turner V, W’08, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flatiron Health
- Wharton MBA alumnus Yuri Milner, founder of DST Global
Here’s the lineup:
Wharton San Francisco MBA for Executives Graduation Ceremony
Saturday, May 6, 2017 — 3 PM
Herbst Theatre
401 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA
Wharton undergraduate alumnus K. Robert “Bobby” Turner, W’84, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Turner Impact Capital LLC
A pioneer in social impact investing, Mr. Turner has established himself as one of the country’s most influential private equity real estate investors over the past 25 years. As Chairman and CEO of Turner Impact Capital, a mission-driven investment management firm based in Los Angeles, he is focused on creating sustainable solutions for today’s societal problems through impactful infrastructure. His groundbreaking work has helped define the triple bottom line investment movement.
“Bobby has been a shining light for and influence on Wharton Social Impact work,” said Geoffrey Garrett, Dean of the Wharton School. “I am so pleased that he will be speaking to our West Coast graduates, who will no doubt be inspired by his message and his example.”
Wharton Philadelphia MBA for Executives Graduation Ceremony
Saturday, May 13, 2017 — 3 PM
Annenberg Center for Performing Arts
3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Adam Grant, Saul P. Steinberg Professor of Management at the Wharton School and Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania
Recognized as one of the world’s 25 most influential management thinkers, Prof. Grant is a bestselling author, accomplished motivational speaker, and the youngest-tenured professor at the Wharton School. His pioneering research on generosity, motivation and meaningful work, and organizational change has yielded more than 60 publications in leading management and psychology journals.
“It is fitting that someone who seems able to do so many things at once, and do them all very well, will be speaking with a cohort of graduates who have completed the world’s most rigorous MBA in two years while maintaining all their other personal and professional responsibilities. Adam’s inspiring work is all about thriving, and I cannot think of a better place to reflect on it,” Dean Garrett said.
Wharton Undergraduate Graduation Ceremony
Sunday, May 14, 2017 — 9 AM
The Palestra, 33rd and South Streets
Philadelphia, PA
Wharton undergraduate alumnus Nathaniel “Nat” Snead Turner V, W’08, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flatiron Health
Mr. Turner has earned many accolades as an innovator and serial entrepreneur in the tech industry. As a student at Wharton, he cofounded online advertising tech startup Invite Media, building the industry’s first enterprise advertising platform for buying and optimizing online media in real time. After Google acquired Invite, Mr. Turner turned his focus to the oncology industry with Flatiron Health to create software that will harness data to help cancer centers treat patients more effectively and accelerate research for life sciences companies.
“I am so proud to have Nat speak to our undergraduates this year. Not only has he achieved great success in the world, but his commitment to guiding and supporting our young student entrepreneurs is unstinting,” said Dean Garrett.“We are blessed to have Nat not only as graduation speaker but also as such a vital member of the Wharton family.”
Wharton MBA Graduation Ceremony
Sunday, May 14, 2017 — 1 PM
The Palestra, 33rd and South Streets
Philadelphia, PA
Wharton MBA alumnus Yuri Milner, founder of DST Global
One of the most prominent technology investors and science philanthropists globally, Mr. Milner attended Wharton in the early 1990s and went on to found Mail.ru Group, which has become one of Europe’s leading Internet companies. He took that business public in 2010 and founded DST Global to focus on worldwide Internet investments; its portfolio has included Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Airbnb, Alibaba, and others.
“Yuri’s extraordinary personal story coupled with his incredible business success make him a wonderful graduation speaker for Wharton,” said Dean Garrett. “From cutting-edge technology to maximizing the potential of emerging markets to reinventing philanthropy, Yuri is a world leader who turns great ideas into concrete action. I have no doubt Wharton graduates will learn from and be inspired by him.”
More than 1,500 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees will be conferred at The Wharton School’s four graduation ceremonies this year. You can find more information at graduation.wharton.upenn.edu.