Their names resonate throughout the entire CMC community: Henry Kravis ’67 and George Roberts ’66 P’93.
Over nearly 40 years, their philanthropy and service have helped fuel the transformation of CMC’s campus, strengthened the College’s academic environment, and provided essential support to students as they pursue their passions and expand their skillsets.
And then there’s what they’ve accomplished together as giants in the world of finance: their co-leadership journey as founders of global investment firm KKR & Co. (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co).
So, it’s no wonder that CMCers lined up en masse to listen when Kravis and Roberts—both CMC Trustees—joined CMC Board Chair Ken Valach ’82 in Roberts Pavilion for a rare joint appearance and “fireside chat” during The Summit, a culmination of CMC Leads celebrations, on April 25.
Before launching the lively discussion, Valach welcomed the duo, who are first cousins and KKR co-founders, back to campus. Earlier in the day with their spouses, Marie-Josée Kravis and Linnea K. Conrad Roberts, the group embarked on a tour of the new Robert Day Sciences Center, home to the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences.
Kravis and Roberts reflected on how CMC shaped the futures they forged together, as they built KKR into a global private equity firm with nearly $800 billion in assets. While emphasizing the importance of a liberal arts education, curiosity, and resilience to their lives and careers, the pair also touched on their philanthropic efforts and the importance of giving back. In addition to helping shape the College’s recent integrated sciences vision, other signature initiatives include: the Kravis Leadership Institute, Kravis Center, the Kravis Opportunity Fund, the state-of-the-art Roberts Pavilion, and the ongoing campus expansion highlighted by the addition of The Roberts Campus Sports Bowl. Valach also noted how both have funded numerous scholarships, faculty chairs, and pieces in the Walker Collection of Public Art.
Among the practical wisdom offered to those who gathered for the stimulating conversation:
- “The Open Academy that you have here has gotten great accolades, and rightly so. I hope students understand that there is no one perfect answer … be willing to listen, open your mind, and maybe you'll change your mind. Maybe you won't. That's okay, but you have got to be tolerant. And what’s missing today, in my view, in the world. Tolerance. You know, everybody wants it their way or no way, and that’s bad … what this school offers, is the ability to change course, the ability to have an open mind and to learn, not only from the school, but learn from each other, learn from the professors, and just learn and broaden your experiences.” (Kravis)
- “This is a message to all the students: When you get out of school, you’re not going to get an ‘A’ every day, and you're going to make some mistakes, and you’re going to fail at some things. And it’s okay to fail, but never lose your integrity. Never lose that. That’s something you could never earn back again.” (Roberts)
- “Today is the best day humans have ever lived. It might not feel that way because we get the news so instantaneously, but people are the healthiest they've ever been. They’re the most prosperous they’ve ever been. They have access to education beyond what they’ve ever had in the past. And even more now, with what’s coming with AI. So, anybody that tells you they want to go back to the good old days, you know, they ought to really understand what the good old days were really like.” (Roberts)
- “We (KKR) made our best investments and had the best returns at the time when everybody was looking at their shoes and saying, ‘Oh, whoa, poor me, the world’s coming to an end!’ I promise you, the world doesn’t come to an end, number one; and you’ve got to have the strength and the ability to go against the tide.” (Kravis)
Before and after the fireside chat, Marie-Josée Kravis and Linnea K. Conrad Roberts joined in the conversation to share how CMC has made them feel part of the community, as well.
Marie-Josee, who chairs the Museum of Modern Art’s Board, noted how happy she was to be back on campus to see the Robert Day Sciences Center and the Walker Collection. “Seeing so much of the art and hearing about all of the programs reminded me of the Steve Jobs quote that ‘technology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing.’ My heart was singing today,” she said.
Linnea, founder and CEO of GingerBread Capital, shared that she often takes notes when she spends time with Henry and her husband, writing down their favorite sayings. She read a selection that she felt applied to the CMC experience.
For Henry: “If you don't like change, you’ll like irrelevance a lot less so.’”
Her “George-ism”: “‘A hand set to the task cannot be removed with impunity.’ George is all about commitment. And once he starts something, his through line is continuing, no matter what the challenge, continuing to lean in to make sure he finishes the job,” she said.
As the conversation concluded, Aadil Mohamed ’26, who is studying Economics-Accounting at CMC, said hearing the Roberts-Kravis interview expanded his thinking on leadership and how it might influence him after he graduates.
“They spoke about operating as true partners, aligned in values, complementary in strengths, and committed to long-term trust, which has allowed them to build something that endures beyond any one individual,” he said. “It pushed me to think of leadership less as a singular role and more as a collaborative discipline.”
View the full video of the Kravis-Roberts campus conversation below.