Mariano-Florentino 'Tino' Cuéllar joins Knight-Hennessy Scholars as Shriram Family Director, succeeding John L. Hennessy

Knight-Hennessy Scholars (KHS) at Stanford University today announced that Mariano-Florentino “Tino” Cuéllar, a former justice of the Supreme Court of California and a nationally recognized leader in higher education, public service, and international affairs, will join KHS as the Shriram Family Director starting this summer. At that time, KHS co-founder and current Shriram Family Director John L. Hennessy will transition to the KHS Advisory Board while remaining involved in teaching and advising scholars.

Cuéllar will join KHS from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a global institution founded to support diplomacy and advise policymakers on international conflict and governance, where he has been president since 2021.

In addition to his role at KHS, Cuéllar will serve as the Sara Miller McCune Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS), rejoin the faculty at Stanford Law School, continue on the advisory council of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI), and will also have a courtesy appointment in political science. Read the full announcement in Stanford Report.

“It’s been ten years since I co-founded Knight-Hennessy Scholars with Phil Knight, chairman emeritus of Nike, Inc.,” said Hennessy. “Since then, KHS has grown into a robust program with a skilled and dedicated team and, to date, 595 scholars have benefitted from our leadership education. Tino will be bringing a fresh perspective to the leadership of KHS based on his extensive experience in government, public service, and academia.”

“We look forward to welcoming Tino as our new KHS Director, and to introducing him to the scholars," said Tina Seelig, Knight-Hennessy Scholars Executive Director. "They will learn from his vast knowledge and experience, and will also benefit from Tino’s role at CASBS, since he will be able to draw upon the expertise of that inspiring community to support KH scholars.”

“What an extraordinary opportunity it is to lead KHS as it enters its second decade. John, Tina, and a remarkable team have worked across Stanford to create one of the most compelling leadership development programs anywhere,” Cuéllar said. “At a time when our world desperately needs the most visionary, courageous, and creative leadership across sectors and borders, KHS will work to ensure we continue to deliver on our mission’s promise and remain innovative and dynamic.”

Knight-Hennessy Scholars is a fully-endowed, multidisciplinary leadership development program for graduate students at Stanford University. Scholars, who come from around the globe, receive up to three years of financial support to pursue graduate studies at any of Stanford’s seven schools while engaging in experiences that prepare them to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders capable of taking on the world’s most difficult challenges.