Oxford announces Keith Burns to deliver Commencement address
Oxford College has announced Keith Burns 99Ox 01B, co-chair and CEO of Lullwater & Co, as the keynote speaker for its 180th Commencement on Saturday, May 10.
Burns, who serves on the executive committee of Oxford’s Board of Counselors (BOC), hopes to encourage students to continue to take on fresh challenges, learn new things, and be creative and thoughtful about who they want to be as they transition to the Atlanta campus and beyond.
“Keith’s journey from a first-generation college student to a nationally renowned entrepreneur and business innovator is an inspiration, as is his dedication to sharing his success by mentoring others,” says Dean Badia Ahad. “At Oxford, his leadership was integral to establishing a need-based scholarship in honor of his friend and mentor, Judge Horace Johnson, Jr., and his expertise and commitment to the College have been invaluable in helping all of our students flourish and thrive. We look forward to Keith’s continued partnership with Oxford and the wisdom he will share with us at Commencement.”
In addition to his work on the BOC, Burns also serves on Oxford’s Alumni Board and on the reunion committee. He brings experience as a multi-talented entrepreneur, lawyer, and business owner who serves as co-chair and CEO of Lullwater & Co, a private investment firm based in Baltimore that specializes in building and mentoring new or growing companies. He also is co-executive chair of One Physics, the largest medical physics services company in the United States. Prior to starting his own businesses, he worked for Goldman, Sachs & Co. and spent several years as a corporate attorney with Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C., and Jones Day in Atlanta.
“Oxford College holds a special place in my journey, and I am both humbled and excited by the opportunity to share my experiences with the graduating class. I look forward to celebrating this important milestone with students, faculty, and the broader Oxford community.”
Burns credits Oxford for “making it cool to engage in learning” and helping him to develop leadership skills built on relationships and collaboration. “From the moment I arrived on campus, it felt like home, and the people I was surrounded by were genuinely interested in my success. Oxford helped me to grow up in a way that I will never be able to fully repay.”
His business partner Michael Curry also is an Emory graduate, and their corporate motto is “learn, build, teach.” Burns also believes that acquiring wisdom and sharing it is a moral duty. His mother, a minister, inspired him to be a life-long learner, teacher, and mentor. “If you can help one person to take a different action or feel a different way about their capabilities, that’s success.”
Burns earned a BBA from Emory University, an MS in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, and a JD from Columbia Law School. He continues his commitment to sharing what he’s learned as an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he teaches a course on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition, and has been a featured lecturer/panelist there and at Harvard Business School, Stanford, Yale, MIT, Duke, Emory and Oxford University (U.K.).
“Oxford creates powerful and compassionate people,” says Burns. “I want each graduating student to take advantage of every opportunity to make an impact on the people they love and the world at large, and to let their light shine.”