05/27/2026
We’re excited to announce that this year’s AAA recipient the Honorable W. Mitt Romney (MBA 1974/JD 1975) will be the featured as the 2026 Alumni Class Day Speaker.
Romney’s career has spanned multiple leadership roles in the private and public sectors. The cofounder of Bain Capital and former Governor of Massachusetts, Romney led the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics, served as a US Senator from Utah, and was a US presidential candidate in 2008 and 2012.
Throughout his career, Romney has stressed the importance of focusing on the task at hand and developing excellence through ex*****on. “The key to being successful is not to think about the promotion or the next job, but to do your present job well,” he noted, advice that has guided his approach across sectors. He has also highlighted the importance of leadership grounded in listening and collaboration. “An effective leader is someone who surrounds himself or herself with brilliant people, listens to them, and then defines a course,” he remarked.
The best advice he’s received? “I told Tom Stemberg (MBA 1973), founder of Staples, that I was planning to help a colleague at Bain work on his weaknesses. He said, ‘Mitt, stop. Everyone has flat sides. Focus instead on how they can accelerate and expand their strengths.”
