Ira D. Hall, BS ’66, MBA ’76, recently established the Ira D. Hall Fellowship to provide financial support to MBA candidates at Stanford GSB, with a preference for African-American students.
Ira D. Hall, BS ’66, MBA ’76, knows what it takes to transform the lives of promising students. As a member of Stanford GSB Advisory Council and volunteer leader at the school and university, Hall embodies the Stanford tradition of making a difference by giving back.
Ira D. Hall, BS ’66, MBA ’76
As a testament to the school’s commitment to a diverse student body, Hall recently established the Ira D. Hall Fellowship to provide financial support to MBA candidates at Stanford GSB, with a preference for African-American students. In addition, he continues to support annual unrestricted giving to the school.
The motivation and inspiration behind Hall’s commitments are shaped by his life experiences. In the first 43 years of the business school—from the time of its founding until the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968—just seven African Americans received MBA degrees. In the aftermath of Dr. King’s death, the school took steps to diversify the student body—racially, culturally, and by gender.
Hall understands how fellowships help ensure that the best and brightest students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to succeed as the leaders of tomorrow. “With a fellowship at Stanford GSB, I know I am making a difference in the lives of promising MBA students by opening doors to opportunity for a tremendous education that I have had the great fortune to have experienced,” he says.
A product of segregated schools in Oklahoma, Hall became president of his senior class at Stanford. The young engineer then joined Hewlett Packard, where he was mentored by William Hewlett and David Packard as well as by the firm’s former CEO, John Young, MBA ’58. Before he got to business school, Hall was elected a trustee of Stanford; he also served on the board of the National Urban Coalition and headed the Stanford Mid-Peninsula Urban Coalition. He went on to a career on Wall Street and with other companies, including serving as treasurer of IBM U.S. and Texaco Inc. Before retiring in 2004, Hall was president and CEO of Utendahl Capital Management.
Hall has been actively engaged with Stanford GSB students through the Black Business Students Association. In 2003, he was inducted into Stanford’s Multicultural Hall of Fame. Hall also endowed a scholarship at the Jackie Robinson Foundation, where he is a board member and treasurer, to provide support to Stanford undergraduate students with a focus on diversity. Through his volunteer engagement and philanthropic commitments, Hall is helping to shape the future of the school and make a difference in the lives of generations of deserving students. Financial Aid
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