Baylor Produces Business Leaders

Baylor University has long been known for nurturing and cultivating exceptional graduates who go on to become leaders in a variety of professions and communities around the world. A particular area of strength has been the University’s success in producing alumni who have made profound impacts across the business world, with many emerging as successful entrepreneurs and corporate leaders.

Such individuals have included the likes of J. Sayles Leach, a 1915 Baylor alumnus, who in 1952 became one of the leading figures in American industry when he was named president of The Texas Company, later renamed Texaco. More recently, Mark Hurd (BBA ’79) served as CEO of tech giants Hewlett-Packard and Oracle Corporation.

Today, Thasunda Brown Duckett stands as an exemplary representative of the values and knowledge that Baylor students gain during their time on campus. A product of Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business (MBA ’01), Duckett has been honored nationally in recent years by being listed as one of the “100 Most Powerful People in Business” by Fortune magazine.

Over the last decade, Duckett has served as CEO of Chase Consumer Banking (2016-21) and, since 2021, as CEO of TIAA, a leading financial services provider that ranks among the 100 largest corporations in America with $1.5 trillion in assets under management.

In 2022, when she was named Baylor Alumna of the Year, Duckett told Baylor Magazine that the University’s values made it the ideal place to earn a graduate degree, and she praised her professors for their caliber of teaching, genuine care and beneficial conversations.

“When I think about the opportunity to lead and to be in a position to have a voice, it’s deep within me, because I know that I can be the change,” Duckett said. “I know that I can bring a different perspective to how to solve some of the toughest problems in our country.”

Outstanding alumni like Duckett continue to serve as the embodiment of Baylor’s mission to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community. As such, they are improving the world around them one by one.