Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson ’83 to Deliver Law School Commencement Address

Arne Sorenson ’83, president and chief executive officer of Marriott International Inc., will be the Law School’s 2018 commencement speaker.

Marriott International encompasses more than 6,500 properties across 30 leading hotel brands spanning 127 countries and territories. In 2012, Sorenson became the third CEO in the company’s history, having held several positions since joining in 1996, including president and chief operating officer, chief financial officer, and president of continental European lodging. He was elected to Marriott’s board of directors in 2011.

Sorenson co-founded Marriott’s Global Sustainability Council in 2007. The following year, he launched Marriott’s rainforest preservation partnership with the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation in Brazil.  He also chairs Marriott’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council.

Sorenson served as vice chair of the President’s Export Council and is the immediate past board chair for Brand USA, where he remains a member of the board. He is a member of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., serving as chair of its Global Initiative. As well as a member of the Business Council, Board of the Warrior Scholar Project and the Board of Trustees for The Brookings Institution.  In November 2017, Sorenson joined the Microsoft Corporation board of directors.

Prior to joining Marriott, Sorenson was a partner with the law firm Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C.

“Arne Sorenson exemplifies the lawyer-leader that we aim to produce at the Law School,” said Garry W. Jenkins, dean and William S. Pattee Professor of Law. “Through his analytic skills and his penchant for collaborative work, he has risen to the top of the hospitality industry. Just as important, he is an engaged civic leader, serving vital government and nonprofit institutions.”

The Law School Commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 12, at Northrop Memorial Auditorium.