Fall 2023 Commencement Speaker

Kelly S. King will be the keynote speaker for East Carolina University’s fall commencement ceremony Friday, Dec. 15, at 10 a.m. in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. A total of 1,925 students will participate in graduation exercises.

King is the retired chairman and CEO of Truist. Prior to the merger of equals between BB&T and SunTrust, King had served as chairman and chief executive officer of BB&T Corporation since January 2010.

During his 49-year career with Truist and BB&T, King served in many leadership roles including 35 years as part of the executive leadership team. He was named president and chief executive officer of BB&T Corporation in January 2009, and chairman and chief executive officer of Branch Banking & Trust Company; served as chief operating officer of BB&T Corporation and Branch Banking and Trust Company from June 2004 to December 2008; and was president of BB&T Corporation from 1996 to June 2004.

King previously served as chairman of ECU’s Board of Visitors, and also was chairman of the North Carolina Bankers Association board and the North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center.

King earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from East Carolina University. He is also a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University, where his thesis on leadership became known as the Truist Leadership Model.