Suffolk University 2020 Commencement Speakers Are Leaders in Science, Law & Finance

Speaker biographies

Dorothy Savarese

Dorothy Savarese is chair and chief executive officer of Cape Cod 5, a financial institution she joined in 1993 as a commercial lending officer. The bank, founded in 1855, has more than $3.4 billion in assets and employs more than 500 people throughout Cape Cod, the islands and Southeastern Massachusetts. Savarese also serves on the Federal Reserve Board’s Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council, representing the First District. The council advises the Federal Reserve Board of Governors on the economy, lending conditions and other issues related to community depository institutions. Savarese also chairs the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s First District Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council. Gov. Charlie Baker has appointed her to the Massachusetts Economic Development Planning Council, formed in 2019 and made up of key business leaders, academics and health care representatives from across the state. Savarese is past chair of the American Bankers Association and has served on the FDIC Advisory Committee on Community Banking. She also is known for her mentoring efforts, and Savarese has established an internship program that focuses on Cape Codders while they are college students. 2019, she was named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking by American Banker magazine for the eighth consecutive year. Savarese, who holds an MBA from Suffolk University, has served on several nonprofit boards throughout the community including the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, the Regional Employment Board of the Cape and Islands, and the Housing Assistance Corporation.

Jeffrey Leiden

Dr. Jeffrey Leiden is the chairman, president and CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He is a physician and scientist who, for the last 40 years, has dedicated his career to improving the lives of people with serious diseases. His experience spans all aspects of the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Dr. Leiden began his career in academia as a molecular biologist and practicing cardiologist, later transitioning to the biopharma sector. From 2000 to 2006, he served as president and chief operating officer and chief scientific officer at Abbott Laboratories, where he led the development and launch of breakthrough medicines for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases and for HIV infection. He later became managing director of Clarus Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm. In 2012, he became chairman, president and CEO at Vertex. Under his leadership, Vertex has delivered the first and only precision medicines to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis. Dr. Leiden also cares deeply about inspiring and equipping underresourced students and young women to become the next generation of scientific leaders. He established a signature program at Vertex to enhance science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) education among students in local communities, including an on-site Learning Lab, mentorship programs, internships and college scholarships. In addition to his responsibilities at Vertex, Dr. Leiden is chair of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Scientific Advisory Board and a member of the Boston Children’s Hospital Scientific Advisory Board. He serves as vice chair of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership and cochairs the governor’s STEM Advisory Council and Digital Health Council. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the American Association of Physicians. Dr. Leiden holds BA, MD and PhD degrees from the University of Chicago.

Carmen M. Ortiz

As a partner at Anderson & Kreiger, Carmen Ortiz focuses her practice on internal investigations, corporate compliance, civil litigation, and white collar criminal defense. She served from 2009 to 2017 as U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, where she oversaw the investigation and litigation of many significant and complex criminal and civil cases in matters involving financial and securities fraud, health care fraud, public corruption, money laundering, cybercrimes, national security, organized crime, and violent crime. Among other high-profile matters, she directed the prosecutions of Whitey Bulger and the Boston Marathon bomber. Protecting the civil rights of Massachusetts residents was a top priority for Ortiz, and she implemented the district’s first Civil Rights Unit. Before becoming U.S. attorney, Ortiz was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Economic Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and also served as an assistant district attorney in Middlesex County, as well as a defense attorney. Among her many honors, Ortiz is listed among the 2020 Best Lawyers in America in the area of administrative/regulatory law and in 2014 was named Latina Lawyer of the Year by the Hispanic National Bar Association. She serves on the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Advisory Board of Trustees and is a board member at large for the Massachusetts Women's Forum. Ortiz holds degrees from George Washington University Law School and Adelphi University.