Lane MacDonald ’84 is 2021 Commencement Speaker

Lane MacDonald ’84 is 2021 Commencement Speaker

Lane MacDonald ’84 will serve as University School of Milwaukee’s Commencement speaker, addressing members of the Class of 2021 and their guests on Saturday, June 12. He was originally slated to be the Class of 2020’s Commencement speaker, but was unavailable after Commencement was rescheduled due to COVID-19. Lafayette Crump ’91 addressed that class in his place.

MacDonald has led a distinguished career in finance, including overseeing a substantial portion of Harvard University’s endowment, but he is also well known for his exceptional athletic abilities. He served as captain for USM’s football, hockey, and baseball teams, and during his time on the ice at USM, MacDonald helped his teams win the WISAA State Championships in both 1983 and 1984. He was also the recipient of the Henry H. Uihlein Sportsmanship Trophy in 1984.

MacDonald went on to successful collegiate and professional hockey careers. He was drafted by the National Hockey League’s Calgary Flames in 1985 but instead chose to enroll at Harvard University, where he played hockey and graduated cum laude in 1989 with a degree in economics. He was twice named a first-team All-American and won the prestigious Hobey Baker Award. He deferred his senior year at Harvard to train for the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, where he co-led the team with six goals in six games. While serving as captain his senior year he led the Crimson to their first NCAA title in 1989, which still stands as Harvard’s only national championship in any major sport. He played professionally for one year in Switzerland before his career was cut short due to injuries. MacDonald was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005 and also became the 54th inductee into the Beanpot Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.

MacDonald earned an MBA from Stanford University and has held a variety of positions in finance. He joined the Harvard Management Company in 2008 as senior vice president for private equity, became HMC’s managing director for public markets in 2012, and began his tenure as Harvard’s managing director of private equity in 2013. As such, he oversaw a substantial portion of Harvard’s $33 billion (at the time) endowment. In 2014, MacDonald left Harvard to become president and chief investment officer of The Crosby Group, a firm that manages the investment activities for the owners of Fidelity Investments. 
MacDonald maintained close ties with Harvard, however, serving as former president of the Harvard Varsity Club, an alumni association for former athletes. He also is a former director of the Harvard Alumni Association.

In 2016, he was part of the inaugural class inducted to the USM Athletic Hall of Fame.

  • Alumni