Laurene Powell Jobs, MBA ’91, to Give 2026 Graduation Address

Laurene Powell Jobs, MBA ’91, entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, will give the graduation address at the Stanford Graduate School of Business diploma ceremony on June 13, 2026.

“Laurene’s commitment to expanding opportunity and strengthening communities is inspiring to me,” says Sarah A. Soule, Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior. “Her thoughtful leadership, spirit of innovation, and deep sense of responsibility to society make her such a notable alumna. We are delighted for our graduates to learn from her experience and perspective as they begin the next chapter of their own leadership journeys.”

Powell Jobs is the founder and president of Emerson Collective, a company that has pioneered a new model for impact since 2011. By combining philanthropy with venture capital investments in entrepreneurs and innovators, Emerson supports solutions in education, economic mobility, immigration, and the environment. She founded the Waverley Street Foundation, a spend-down fund that focuses on climate change solutions and addressing the needs of communities, as well as College Track, which supports first-generation college students from high school, through college and beyond. She co-founded the XQ Institute, an organization committed to transforming high schools in the U.S. and to better preparing students for high-demand, high-wage careers.

Powell Jobs is the lead investor and board chair of The Atlantic and serves on the boards of Chicago CRED, the Ford Foundation, Elemental Impact, and the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a recipient of Stanford GSB’s Ernest C. Arbuckle Award.

Powell Jobs earned her bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.