CEO and Co-Owner of Boston Globe Media Linda Henry '00, H'19 will give the undergraduate Commencement address, with Co-Founder and former CEO of Blink UX Karen Clark Cole speaking at the graduate Commencement ceremony
Wellesley, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - March 25, 2025) - Babson College will honor the achievements of approximately 750 undergraduate and 550 graduate members of the Class of 2025 on Saturday, May 17, 2025, on its Wellesley campus. This will be the institution's 106th undergraduate and 73rd graduate Commencement ceremonies.
CEO and Co-Owner of Boston Globe Media Linda Henry '00, H'19 will serve as the 2025 undergraduate Commencement speaker. Henry's successful decades-long career across media and sports embodies the power of a Babson education when paired with entrepreneurial drive. At Boston Globe Media, she has stewarded the rebuilding and reimagining of a 153-year-old legacy media company into a thriving, modern multimedia organization with a portfolio of media outlets that include The Boston Globe, Boston.com, STAT, and Boston Magazine.
As an active partner in Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Henry is front row to the strategic operations of one of the largest global sports platforms, with teams across the Premier League, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, TMRW Golf, and more. Her sports influence also supports women's sports, where she has invested at the league level in the WNBA, League One Volleyball, and Unrivaled. Outside of sports, she is a four-time Emmy-award winning television producer, Emmy-award winning documentary producer, and children's book author.
Henry serves as chair of the Boston Globe Foundation and the John W. Henry Family Foundation; director of the Red Sox Foundation and Penguins Hockey Foundation; a trustee of the Liverpool Football Club Foundation; and board member of The Engine at MIT and Shorenstein Center at Harvard-a testament to her commitment to leveraging her business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit for social good. Henry continued her education after Babson by completing master's degrees at both MIT and Harvard.
Delivering the graduate Commencement address will be Karen Clark Cole, co-founder and former CEO of Blink UX, the first user experience company in the United States. Over the course of 24 years, Clark Cole grew Blink into a global leader in user experience research, design, and development with an array of clients including Amazon, Apple, Disney, NASA, Google, Starbucks, and Microsoft.
Clark Cole is a visionary thinker and strategic planner who takes pride in turning ideas into action. As Blink's CEO, she led and negotiated six strategic acquisitions across the country before leading Blink's acquisition by the global public company Mphasis Corporation in 2021.
In addition to her success leading at Blink, Clark Cole is the founder and executive director of Girls Can Do and Heaven on Earth Animal Retirement Sanctuary, two non-profit organizations with missions close to her heart. She also serves as the chair of the board of governors for St. Margaret's School, a K-12 all-girls independent school in Canada, and is a council member on the National Women's Business Council in Washington, D.C. She advises and invests in women-founded businesses and spends time writing and speaking on user-centered leadership and creating a culture of innovation. Clark Cole's forthcoming book on her entrepreneurial journey will be published in early 2026.
"Commencement is the ultimate celebration of a successful academic career," said President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA'92, Ph.D. "I look forward to hearing the wisdom that Linda and Karen will share with our community and congratulating our graduates as they cross the stage. I know that Linda and Karen's remarkable careers and entrepreneurial spirits will inspire our new graduates as they begin their own journeys as entrepreneurial leaders seeking to make an impact around the world."
Honorary Degree Recipients
Henry was awarded an honorary degree during Babson's 2019 Commencement ceremony. Clark Cole will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Entrepreneurial Leadership during the graduate ceremony.
Babson will bestow three additional honorary degrees during the Commencement ceremonies. Leonard "Len" C. Green will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Entrepreneurial Leadership at the undergraduate ceremony. Green is a longtime adjunct professor of entrepreneurship and has served as chairman of The Green Group, an accounting, tax, consulting, and advisory firm since he founded the company in 1973. He is a former Babson trustee and is a charter member of the Weissman Circle of Distinction and an inductee of the Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs®. The Len Green Recreation and Athletics Center (LGRAC) was named in his honor 2022.
Peter H. Lunder P'86 '90 and Paula C. Lunder P'86 '90-longtime supporters of Babson College, former trustees, and the parents of two proud alumni-will receive honorary degrees during the graduate ceremony. The Lunders have long been generous donors to the College, supporting financial aid with the Lunder Endowed Scholarship, athletics with the naming of the Lunder Performance Center, and facilities with the naming of the Lunder Admission Center.
To learn more about Babson's undergraduate and graduate Commencement ceremonies, visit the Babson 2025 Commencement website.
About Babson College
Babson College is a global leader in entrepreneurship education. Through its proven Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® methodology, the College prepares entrepreneurial leaders who create, grow, and steward sustainable economic and social value around the world. Founded in 1917 in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Babson has empowered more than 45,000 entrepreneurial leaders to impact communities and industries of all kinds. Babson is recognized as the No. 2 best college in the United States by The Wall Street Journal and has maintained its place as No. 1 atop U.S. News & World Report's entrepreneurship rankings for decades. The College offers an array of undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs and partners with organizations around the world to support global entrepreneurship initiatives. Through the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Babson's centers and institutes, the College empowers accomplished and aspiring entrepreneurs to advance the study and practice of entrepreneurial thought leadership around the world.
Kate Chaney, Manager, External Communications
kchaney@babson.edu
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