NCAA President and Former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Tripadvisor Co-Founder and Former CEO Stephen Kaufer to Deliver Commencement Addresses at Bentley University

President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker will deliver the keynote address at Bentley University's 104th undergraduate commencement ceremony in May. Baker’s commencement address – his first since becoming NCAA president – comes as the university celebrates the success of Bentley’s student-athletes, who have achieved the highest graduation rate in the country at 99% for six years in a row. 

Stephen Kaufer, the co-founder and driving force behind Tripadvisor, a company that started above a pizza shop in Needham and grew to become the world’s largest travel site, will deliver the commencement address – his first since stepping down as CEO – at the 48th commencement ceremony for Bentley's McCallum Graduate School of Business. 

“At Bentley, we know that business can be a force that changes the world, so I’m thrilled that our graduates at this year’s commencement will hear from such inspiring, accomplished executives who have exemplified this ideal over the course of their careers,” said Bentley President E. LaBrent Chrite. “Charlie Baker and Steve Kaufer exemplify the type of entrepreneurial and collaborative leadership to which our graduates aspire, and it will be an honor to welcome them to Bentley University.”

During his two terms as Massachusetts governor (2015 to 2023), Baker brought bipartisan leadership to the state and became the most popular governor in the country. As governor, he invested significantly in Massachusetts' K-12 education system, eliminated the state's budget deficit while cutting taxes, and led the nation in pursuing renewable energy to combat climate change. Leading up to his election, Baker served as executive in residence at General Catalyst Partners, a venture capital firm, where he advised mission-driven companies working on “responsible innovations.” Earlier in his career, Baker was CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, which under his leadership went from the verge of bankruptcy to 24 consecutive profitable quarters and a reputation as one of America's top health care plans. Since becoming NCAA president last month, Baker says his priority will be developing protections for college athletes and clarifying rules around sponsorship deals that allow them to be paid for the use of their name, image and likeness. Read more about Charlie Baker here.

Kaufer co-founded Tripadvisor in 2000 to help travelers plan and book the perfect trip. Under his leadership, the company grew into the largest travel site in the world, providing guidance to hundreds of millions of travelers per month in 22 languages. Kaufer embodies Bentley’s approach to doing business while also doing good. As Tripadvisor CEO, he condemned the U.S. ban on travelers from Muslim-majority countries and invited donations from Tripadvisor members to help refugees fleeing humanitarian crises, which the company’s charitable foundation then matched. He also spoke out in support of Ukraine after it was invaded by Russia and again leveraged the Tripadvisor community to raise money for the World Central Kitchen Ukraine relief efforts, before stepping down as CEO last year. Before co-founding Tripadvisor, he was president of CDS, Inc., a software vendor specializing in programming and testing tools, and co-founder of CenterLine Software. Read more about Stephen Kaufer here.

Bentley University’s graduate and PhD commencement ceremony will be held on Friday, May 19, 2023, and the undergraduate ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 20. More than 1,700 students will receive diplomas and will be joined by their families, friends and members of the university community. 

Undergraduate students will receive bachelor’s degrees from a variety of business and liberal arts programs that prepare them to be successful leaders who are a force for positive change in their communities, organizations and the world. Graduate students will receive advanced degrees that include a Master’s in Business Administration, Master’s in Business Analytics and Master’s in Finance. At the respective ceremonies, Baker and Kaufer will receive honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degrees.

You can find more information about Bentley’s commencement here: https://www.bentley.edu/commencement.