Retired Tech CEO David Laurello 鈥�81, 鈥�88 Joins Manning School as Executive in Residence

A man wearing glasses and a blazer holds a microphone and talks to students while seated in a chair. Image by Ed Brennen
Retired tech CEO David Laurello '81, '88 has returned to his alma mater to serve as executive in residence at the Manning School of Business.

02/13/2025
By Ed Brennen

With Commencement fast approaching, senior听business听major Brandon Fish is taking advantage of every available resource as he prepares to enter the working world. Recently, he dropped by Cumnock Hall to get some advice from a 51视频 alum with a long and successful career in technology and business leadership.

David Laurello 鈥�81, 鈥�88, former president and CEO of Stratus Technologies, has returned to his alma mater to serve as executive in residence at the听Manning School of Business.听

In addition to mentoring students during office hours at Cumnock, Laurello will deliver guest lectures and collaborate with faculty to ensure that courses align with the latest industry trends. He will also teach an operations management course and plans to develop a new course on crisis leadership.

鈥淏esides having a wealth of senior management experience, David is just a wonderful person who wants to share his expertise,鈥� says Rist Family Endowed Dean of the Manning School听Bertie Greer. 鈥淗e will help us bridge the gap between academia and industry, enriching the educational experience for our students.鈥�

A college student sits with his arms folded and talks to a man seated across a desk. Image by Ed Brennen
Senior business major Brandon Fish meets with Manning School Executive in Residence David Laurello '81, '88 on a recent Monday afternoon at Cumnock Hall.
A member of the听Manning School advisory board听since 2010, Laurello has established two scholarships at UML: The Laurello Family Endowed Scholarship for Manning School students and the David 鈥�81, 鈥�88 and Lauren Laurello Endowed Scholarship Fund for students in the听Francis College of Engineering.听

Taking on the executive in residence role is another way to give back to the institution that helped shape his career.听

鈥�51视频 was an inflection point in my life,鈥� says Laurello, who joined the U.S. Air Force out of high school and spent four years working on radar systems before coming to 51视频 on the GI Bill for a bachelor鈥檚 degree in听electrical engineering.

鈥淚f you take time off between school, there鈥檚 a part of your brain that goes to sleep. So, when I came to campus, I was really struggling,鈥� recalls Laurello, a first-generation college student from East Haven, Connecticut. 鈥淚t was a tough transition, but the school was very accommodating. They got me some tutors and got me on an even keel.鈥�

A seated man holds a microphone and talks to a room full of college students. Image by Ed Brennen
David Laurello '81, '88, former CEO of Stratus Technologies, shares career advice with students during a fireside chat hosted by the International Student Association at Alumni Hall.
That foundation, bolstered by an MBA from the Manning School, set him on a career path that took him to Digital Equipment Corporation, Lucent Technologies and Bell Labs. At Stratus, a computer server company based in Maynard, Massachusetts, Laurello rose from head of hardware engineering to CEO.

After selling Stratus to Smart Global Holdings in 2022, Laurello stayed on for two years to lead a division focused on deploying AI infrastructure and building large data centers.听

鈥淚t was a chance to learn AI in a much more detailed way. It has been hyped up, but it can be demystified. It鈥檚 not magic,鈥� says Laurello, who shared his insights on the legal, environmental and career ramifications of AI with students during a recent fireside chat hosted by the听听student organization.听

鈥淭hings are going to come that change the way we live and work, and you鈥檙e going to have to adapt,鈥� he told students. 鈥淵ou have to always be out there learning for yourself so you can be aware of what鈥檚 happening.鈥�

Two men can be seen through an open doorway talking while seated at a desk. Image by Ed Brennen
As the Manning School's executive in residence, David Laurello '81, '88 hosts weekly office hours at Cumnock Hall.
As the Manning School鈥檚 new executive in residence, Laurello looks forward to imparting what he鈥檚 learned to students such as Fish, a听 and infielder听on the UML baseball team who plans to meet regularly with Laurello during the spring semester for help navigating his job search.听

鈥淚鈥檓 motivated to get my foot in the door somewhere after graduation, and I want some insights on what roles I would be a good fit for,鈥� says Fish, a native of Londonderry, New Hampshire, with concentrations in finance and international business. 鈥淒ave has extraordinary expertise, and he鈥檚 going to make sure I鈥檓 on the right track and making progress towards my goals.鈥澨�

Fish also attended Laurello鈥檚 fireside chat at Alumni Hall, where he offered this summary of advice:

鈥淲ork hard, be passionate, be humble, keep your commitments and always be learning,鈥� Laurello said. 鈥淭his school has a lot of students who are hungry and want to do better, so tap into that energy.鈥�

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