CEO, Sprint Nextel
“The Most Rapidly Adopted Technology in Human History”
April 2012
The Harvard Club
Mr. Hesse is the CEO of the Sprint Nextel Corporation. Prior to this, he was the Chairman and CEO of Embarq Corporation. Mr. Hesse spent 23 years at AT&T, where he last served as President and CEO of AT&T Wireless Services, at the time America’s largest wireless carrier. He received a BA from Notre Dame, an MBA from Cornell, and an MS from MIT where he was awarded the Brooks Thesis Prize.
He has been named “Most Influential Person in Mobile Technology” by LAPTOP magazine, Wireless Industry “Person of the Year” by RCR magazine, “Executive of the Year” by Wireless Business and Technology magazine, one of the five “Best Turnaround CEO’s of All Time” by Fierce Wireless, and he received Wireless Week magazine’s Leadership Award and Cornell’s L. Joseph Thomas Leadership Award. He was appointed by President Obama to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and serves on the National Board of Governors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America
EGI Haiti: In October of 2008, Stephen Keppel 03′ presented the Economic Growth Initiative (EGI), an entrepreneurial initiative based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to the ND Business Council. Stephen Keppel and Patrick Moynihan started EGI as an extension of the Haitian Project which runs a successful secondary boarding school and was founded in Providence, RI. EGI-Haiti, has always had a close connection to Notre Dame. Fr. Ted Hesburgh was an early inspiration and financial supporter and EGI received its first grant from the Sieben family foundation which has connections to the University. Stephen and Patrick are currently working with the Gigot Center for entrepreneurship at the Mendoza College of Business on enhancing EGI’s business training in Haiti. The goal is to help individuals reach their full economic potential as succesful business leaders who create jobs and support their communities. Patrick will give a status update and outline a path forward for EGI in post-earthquake Haiti.