‘Stay focused. Get stuff done. Most importantly, be kind.’

As he gazed out over members of the Sawyer Business School’s Class of 2025 gathered for their Commencement, John Fernandez offered his commiserations on the ceremony’s 9 a.m. start time—and acknowledged that many of the graduates may have spent the previous evening celebrating. He also reminded them of the journey on which they were about to embark.

“As you know, in business you get started early,” said the president and CEO of Brown University Health and former president of Mass Eye and Ear. “But if you play hard, you also have to work hard.”

Fernandez was awarded an honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree at the Sawyer Business School ceremony, one of three Suffolk commencements held at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion on Sunday, May 18.

‘I try to lead with kindness, and I try to hire for kindness.’

Acknowledging the graduates were launching their business careers in a period of great uncertainty, Fernandez offered three pieces of advice to help them maintain both their bearings and their values: “Stay focused. GSD—get stuff done. Most importantly, be kind.”

As a healthcare executive facing often unpredictable economic and regulatory outlooks, Fernandez said, “I could spend half my day, every day, trying to respond to different eventualities, worrying about the week’s challenges ahead or today’s headlines.” To stay productive in the face of so much potential disruption, Fernandez tells his team to remain focused on the top priorities and deliver the best care to patients. He counseled graduates to do the same: “Don’t get distracted by things you can’t control. Tune out the noise.”

Fernandez pointed out that the Sawyer Business School is “GSD U”: an institution where students do, indeed, learn how to get stuff done. “This is a place that believes in equipping students with practical, career-ready skills,” he said. “You have spent the years learning, thinking, reading, studying—but also doing. And that will serve you well.”

Fernandez’ final thought for the Class of 2025 was the power of kindness. “Kindness, he said, “comes from a place of empathy—offering somebody your understanding and your time,” he said. “It implies a deeper, more intentional practice of generosity. I try to lead with kindness, and I try to hire for kindness.”

Fernandez closed his remarks by thanking the graduates for their hard work, their faith and investment in higher education, and willingness to take on the world’s challenges. “The world needs you,” he said. “It needs your energy, it needs your fresh perspectives, it needs your drive—and, most importantly, it needs your kindness.”

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‘You are ready to succeed in a world where the only certainty is change.’

Suffolk University President Marisa J. Kelly praised graduates for their adaptability during “a period of unfathomable change and disruption.” She noted that ChapGPT was not even on the radar during graduates’ sophomore year and that generative artificial intelligence went from “sci-fi novelty to an everyday reality” over the course of one semester.

“During your time at Suffolk, you have been watching the world redefine itself on a monthly basis,” Kelly said. “Recalibration has been a necessity and a constant. “

In a world changing at breakneck speed, Kelly suggested graduates might laugh when asked if they had a five- or ten-year plan. “You know that ‘pivoting’ is not something you will do once or twice in your careers,” Kelly said. “You are prepared to adapt early and often because you understand things will change.”

Kelly concluded by pointing out that the Class of 2025 has what it takes to succeed in the face of so much uncertainty. “You have the skills needed to adapt to fast-changing technologies, shifting realities, and a wide range of career paths,” she said. “You are Suffolk ready!”

‘This world is better having you in it. Now let’s go and do amazing things.’

The undergraduate class greeting was delivered by Derek Goodwin, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in management. A member of the Marine Corps for 13 years, Goodwin came to Suffolk at age 34 to complete his undergraduate degree. Recalling one of his first classes, he joked he was older than the professor—and very likely older than the classroom projector. But Goodwin quickly learned that Suffolk is a place that supports students of all ages and circumstances. “It doesn’t matter where you started,” Goodwin said in his remarks. “It just matters that you showed up, ready to do the work.”

Graduate student Commencement speaker Christin Santiago earned a Master of Public Administration degree after completing a certificate at the Business School’s Moakley Center for Public Management. “The Sawyer Business School is exactly what everyone in our towns, our state, and our country needs now,” she said. “Connection, knowledge, service, challenge, and opportunity. As [Sawyer Business School] Dean Zeng puts it: ‘Business with purpose.’”

Santiago came back to school to get her MPA 25 years after earning her undergraduate degree, and, while nervous at first, she found the experience ultimately rewarding. “This program tickled the part of my brain that had been dormant for a long time,” Santiago remarked. “Before I entered [Suffolk] I had a job. Now I have a career.”

She also thanked her family for their support. “Most importantly, I showed my kids that it is always worth trying something new,” she said, “even if the outcome is not certain.”

About John Fernandez

John Fernandez is the president and CEO of Brown University Health, a not-for-profit comprehensive, integrated academic health system affiliated with the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. In this role, he oversees multiple hospitals and healthcare facilities, including Rhode Island Hospital and its pediatric division; Hasbro Children’s Hospital; The Miriam Hospital; Bradley Hospital; Newport Hospital; Morton Hospital; St. Anne’s Hospital; Gateway Healthcare; Brown Health Medical Group; and Brown Health Medical Group Primary Care.

Prior to joining Brown University Health, Fernandez was from 2007 to 2022 president of Mass Eye and Ear, one of the nation’s largest specialty hospitals exclusively dedicated to academic research, training, and treatment for conditions that impair vision, hearing, and other disorders of the eyes, ears, nose, throat, head, and neck. He also served as president of Mass General Brigham Integrated Care, an entity formed in 2019 with a mission to bring lower-cost healthcare closer to where patients live.

Throughout his career, Fernandez has demonstrated a track record of increasing and improving healthcare services, investing in research and innovation, and training the next generation of health professionals. He led key strategic initiatives to provide greater access to ambulatory services in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and other states.

Fernandez received a bachelor’s degree in political science from The College of Wooster in Ohio and a master’s degree in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania.

Commencement 2025

The Sawyer Business School Class of 2025 comprises 755 new alumni, with 373 undergraduate and 382 graduate degrees awarded.

The ceremony was one of three Suffolk Commencements held on Sunday, May 18, at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion. The University conferred a total of 1,818 undergraduate and advanced degrees to graduates from 35 states and 68 different countries. Twenty-six percent of the Business School’s undergraduate degree recipients are first-generation college students.