Two prominent Indiana University alumni will serve as keynote speakers for the May 9 commencement ceremonies for the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis.
Bryce Bennett, a partner in the business law firm of Riley, Bennett, and Egloff, LLP, will begin the day’s celebrations as the keynote speaker for the graduate student ceremony at 1 p.m. at the Indiana Convention Center. Steve Sterrett, executive vice president and chief financial officer at the local Simon Property Group, will speak at the 5 p.m. ceremony for Kelley undergraduates.
Both speakers are graduates of Indiana University and have strong ties to the Indianapolis community.
“I could not be more proud of the success the Kelley School of Business has enjoyed since I graduated in 1975. The recent ranking of number four among public business schools is a testament to its well-deserved reputation for excellence,” Bennett said of being selected to speak.
U.S. News and World Report recently ranked the Evening MBA Program at Kelley Indianapolis in the Top 10 of all part-time MBA programs in the country and fourth among public schools.
Sterrett also said he was proud to be honored as keynote speaker for his alma mater.
“This is especially meaningful to me because I am a proud, two-time graduate of IU and have long believed in the university’s mission,” Sterrett said.
“The Kelley School has a reputation for graduating thought leaders and innovators, and I am highly confident that Class of 2010 will continue this tradition,” he added.
Sterrett now serves as the CFO for Simon, an S&P 500 company and the largest publicly traded real estate company in the country. The company currently owns or has an interest in approximately 380 properties in North America, Europe or Asia, and its worldwide headquarters reside in downtown Indianapolis.
Sterrett joined Simon in 1988 and has served in his current position since 2000. He was formerly a senior manager with the international accounting firm Price Waterhouse.
He holds as bachelor’s degree in accounting from IU and an MBA in finance from Kelley Indianapolis. He remains active in many boards and organizations, both locally and nationally, including the Kelley School of Business Board of Visitors.
Bennett also graduated from IU, but with a finance undergraduate degree and a law degree from the IU Law School-Indianapolis.
Since 1978, Bennett has represented businesses and business and property owners in legal proceedings in both state and federal courts. He has argued cases before the federal Court of Appeals and before the Indiana Supreme Court.
Bennett specializes in business law and litigation serving the insurance, healthcare, construction, real estate, media, not-for-profit and entertainment industries.
He, too, is active in many local and national organizations. He currently serves as chairman of the board for the Central Indiana Better Business Bureau and is the past president of the Indiana Bar Association.