ECU alum Kelly King to deliver Fall 2023 commencement address

Published Nov 27, 2023 by
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East Carolina University’s commencement ceremony will take place Friday, Dec. 15, at 10 a.m. in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum to celebrate approximately 1,925 members of the fall Class of 2023. ECU alumnus Kelly S. King will be the keynote speaker.

ECU alumnus Kelly S. King, the retired Chairman and CEO of Truist, will be the keynote speaker for the fall 2023 commencement ceremony. (Contributed photo)

King is the retired chairman and CEO of Truist, a role he served in following the closing of the merger of equals between BB&T Corporation and SunTrust Banks Inc. Before the merger, King had served as chairman and chief executive officer of Truist predecessor BB&T Corporation since January 2010.

At Truist and BB&T, King has 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 in January 2009; 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 earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from ECU. 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.

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

Currently, King serves as the chair of the NCInnovation Board of Directors and High Point University’s National Leadership Advisory Council. Previously, he served on the Federal Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve System from 2013 to 2016 and as its president in 2016. He also served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond from 2009 to 2012.

College-specific recognition ceremonies will take place that afternoon. For a complete list of ceremonies and additional details visit ECU’s commencement website.