Getting to Know Babson’s New President

Senior Journalist

John Crawford

A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.

September 12, 2019

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How well do you know Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD? Babson’s 14th president takes time to answer a few questions.

Read more about Babson’s new president in the summer issue of Babson Magazine.

Where did you grow up?

Springfield, Massachusetts, in the South End, an Italian-American neighborhood. After graduating from college, I lived in Maryland, Iowa, Utah, New York, Massachusetts, London, and Pennsylvania.

What’s a favorite place you like to visit?

Nantucket

What’s a favorite place on campus?

The entrance of The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship. It was the gateway to my career in both business and academia.

Tell us a little about your family.

Carol is my wife. We met in college, and we’ve been married for 40 years. Carol has a master’s degree in organ with a specialty in sacred music. She is the smartest person I’ve ever met.

My son is Stephen. He is a doctor of musical arts candidate, and he works at Cornell. He’s won a Grammy Award, and in college, he was an All-American swimmer.

My daughter is Kate. She went to Villanova for economics, and then earned a grad degree in interiors from the Boston Architectural College. She is director of interior design at Isgenuity in Boston.

We have two grandsons, Alexander (The Great), almost 4, and William (The Wonderful), who’s 1.

What’s your favorite movie?

“Saving Private Ryan”

What’s your favorite book?

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Favorite musical artist?

Stephen Spinelli III

What do you like to do outside of work?

Tennis. I’m not that good at it either. But, it’s an intense exercise for a concentrated, limited period of time. An hour and a half of tennis, and I’m exhausted at the end of it. And, I had fun.

What’s a favorite piece of advice you have received?

“Focus on opportunity.” That’s from Bill Bygrave.

Who inspires you?

Students

What’s a piece of advice you like to give to students?

Be on time. Prepare beyond the obvious. Admit mistakes, and forgive others’ mistakes.

What is something that people in the Babson community might not know about you?

I love history. I’ve read the biographies of 20 presidents, and it’s on my bucket list to read them all. I also am particularly fascinated with Winston Churchill.