The inaugural keynote speaker for the GradFUTURES Star Lessons in Leadership series, B. Ben Baldanza *86, a Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumnus, was the CEO of Spirit Airlines from 2005-2016.

He is currently is Chief Executive Officer of Diemacher, LLC.

The *Star Lessons in Leadership Series invites to campus graduate alumni who are prominent leaders, and connects them with current graduate students and the campus community.

The title of the series references the convention within the Princeton community of placing an asterisk before the graduation year for graduate alumni – and the asterisk’s being called a star.  The “star” in the title, therefore, speaks both to the invited guest’s connection to Princeton and to the guest's status as a recognized leader.