IRVING, Texas (July 28, 2024) – The Seventh Annual William V. Campbell Trophy® Summit took place July 24-26 at Stanford University in California, serving as vehicle for perpetuating the ethos that helped Bill Campbell, the trophy's namesake, become one of the most influential business leaders of his generation. The event, which attracted more than 300 attendees, is proudly sponsored by Intuit, the global financial technology platform that makes Intuit TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp.
 
Since 2017, the event has connected former Campbell Trophy® nominees with some of the nation's top CEOs and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who have imparted valuable life lessons to the attendees at all stages of their careers. Headline speakers at the 2025 event included Pat Gelsinger (Former CEO, Intel Corporation), Randy Komisar (Former Partner, Kleiner Perkins), Ronnie Lott (NFF Board Member and NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee), Andrew Luck (General Manager, Stanford Football and College Football Hall of Fame inductee), Denis McDonough (Former White House Chief of Staff to U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs), Brad D. Smith (President, Marshall University and former Intuit Chairman & CEO) and Steve Young (NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee and NFF National Scholar-Athlete).
 
"Since our founding in 1947, the NFF has been at the forefront of showcasing football's unique power to develop leaders," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "No one understood or embodied that ideal more than Bill Campbell, and the Campbell Trophy® Summit stands as a singular and powerful platform to carry forward his legacy. I want to especially recognize Mark Flynn and Brad Smith, whose leadership has been the driving force behind the Summit, ensuring Bill's influence continues to grow exponentially."
 
Organized as a tribute to the late Bill Campbell, the former CEO and Chairman of Intuit, the event serves as a vehicle for the many leaders impacted by Campbell to pass on his insights about success, leadership and personal growth. The 2025 event provided all past Campbell Trophy® nominees a unique chance to interact and learn from many of the nation's top entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley CEOs.
 
Steven Tardy, a 1989 NFF National Scholar-Athlete from Rutgers University who now serves as CEO of French & Parrello Associates, a 250-person New Jersey-based engineering and consulting firm, said the Summit provided him the opportunity to learn from other leaders while taking a step back from the day-to-day demands of work.
 
"The Summit has been an invaluable experience — not just for the leadership insights and lessons, but for the camaraderie," Tardy said. "Being able to step away from the constant urgency of running a company and spend time with such accomplished, thoughtful people has been refreshing. The conversations here are foundational and challenge me to think differently about how I lead and how I can keep improving myself and my organization."
 
This year's 300-plus attendees represented 143 colleges and universities from all divisions, and their current careers range from doctors, engineers, lawyers, physicists and business and civic leaders. They carried an average GPA in college of 3.68 and 65 percent have subsequently earned advanced degrees. They came from 41 different states and England, and more than half played Division I football while another 26 percent played professionally. More than 45 percent have attended a previous Summit, and their ages ranged from the early 20s to 71 with an average age of 35.
 
Smith, who currently heads Marshall University and was mentored by Bill Campbell during his tenure at Intuit, kicked off the three-day event with a tribute to the event's namesake and the attendees who gathered to carry on his legacy.
 
"What makes this event distinctive and special is you can't buy a ticket again," said Smith. "You have to earn your seat. And every one of you who've been nominated for the William V. Campbell trophy have done just that, and it is my privilege to be here with you this morning. It's my privilege because you are the best of the best elite student athletes and purpose driven leaders."
 
A three-day event, the Summit included leadership workshops, team building activities, and several other social networking activities designed to build relationships, including a non-tackle ultimate football game, a casino night, and in the press box at the Stanford Football Stadium. The panels covered a wide range of topics designed to foster leadership, personal growth and the career development of the attendees.
 
MWF Advisors CEO Mark Flynn, a former linebacker at Saint John's (MN) who was a volunteer coach for an eighth-grade boys-and-girls' flag-football team with Campbell, has played the lead role in organizing the event since its inception in 2017.
 
"The past few days, I think we've been reminded leadership isn't about titles or trophies, and it's not about being the loudest in the room. It's about lifting others," said Flynn. "It's about aligning your values with your actions, and it's about showing up consistently humbly and with purpose…. No one lived that better than the man whose legacy unites us each year, Bill Campbell…. He coached hearts, not just minds, and he proved the best leaders didn't build companies. They build people."
 
The Summit is open to all former nominees for the Campbell Trophy®, which has been presented since 1990, and the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards presented by Fidelity Investments, which have been bestowed since 1959. The approach of inviting all the past nominees stretching back to 1959 has created a unique community of recent college graduates as well as professionals in the middle of their careers and retirees who can serve as mentors.
 
After Smith kicked off the event, a wide range of issues were tackled. Steve Young was interviewed by Emmy-Award-winning broadcaster Ted Robinson, discussing the leadership principles of 49ers Coach Bill Walsh and Bill Campbell while emphasizing the importance of vulnerability, partnership, and seeing potential in others.
 
McDonough, a former Saint John's (MN) strong safety, joined Mehdi Alhassani, the head of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Palantir Technologies, and Keenan Reynolds, a former Navy QB who also works at Palantir as a Deployment Strategist. The trio shared insights on teamwork, trust, and overcoming challenges, drawing parallels between sports and leadership in public service.
 
Diane Flynn, ReBoot Accel, co-founder and CEO, took the stage to discuss the importance of self-awareness, vulnerability and authenticity in leadership, while sharing the significance of communication, alignment, and a learning mindset.
 
Matt Abrahams, a renowned lecturer at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, led a workshop on effective communication, emphasizing the importance of managing anxiety and adopting a growth mindset.
 
Gelsinger shared his journey from a Pennsylvania farm kid to a pioneering technologist at Intel, where he contributed to key innovations like USB, Wi-Fi, and cloud computing.
 
After lunch, Bob Sutton, a Professor Emeritus of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University, conducted a session covering his latest book, "The Friction Project." The conversation covered scaling excellence, reducing bureaucratic inefficiencies, and the importance of friction fixing.
 
Liz Wiseman, the CEO of The Wiseman Group and the New York Times bestselling author of Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, concluded the day with a workshop on leadership that emphasized the importance of creating environments that amplify intelligence and capability and the difference between multiplier leaders, who foster intelligence and capability, and diminisher leaders, who stifle it.
 
Day two began with Ryan Nece, a four year-starting linebacker at UCLA who played in the NFL before becoming a successful entrepreneur, interviewing his father and NFF College Football Hall of Fame legend Ronnie Lott. The two discussed leadership, giving back and the influence of Bill Campbell on their lives.
 
Scott Brady, a venture capitalist and the founder of Innovation Endeavors, discussed the rapid evolution of AI and its implications for business and technology, including the potential impact on manufacturing, energy consumption and ethical considerations.

Komisar, who partnered with Bill Campbell to launch several companies, shared him memories of Campbell's leadership style, highlighting his compassion and empathy for his employees and his strong sense of fairness.
 
Denise Lee Yohn, a leadership and brand expert, gave a presentation on delivering extraordinary customer experiences to build brand loyalty. She highlighted that being "nice" is no longer sufficient; companies must differentiate by being unique.
 
Luck concluded the event, talking about the myriad of changes occurring in college athletics and his memories of Bill Campbell. He highlighted the need for a collective bargaining agreement for college athletes and the impact of NIL deals.
 
Tom James, a 1998 Campbell Trophy® nominee from San Jose State who parlayed a hospitality management degree into a 15-year career as a PGA Golf Professional and now runs a Fresno-based golf academy, has attended three Campbell Trophy Summits.
 
"It's been absolutely amazing—just a big learning experience that's taught me how to parlay what we learned from college football into life after football," said James. "The lessons on leadership, teamwork, and celebrating wins have been invaluable, not only in my personal growth but also in how I mentor others in the golf world. Over these three years attending the Summit, I've found that the skills and mindset we developed as scholar-athletes translate directly into building strong teams and resilient professionals."
 
Jason McKinley, a former University of Houston quarterback and 2000 Campbell Trophy® nominee, spent a brief stint with the Houston Texans and Washington Commanders before building a successful career in the insurance industry and co-founding an AI-driven company, SanctifAI. A first-time attendee at the Campbell Trophy Summit, McKinley was struck by the unique blend of inspiration and camaraderie the event fosters.
 
"After being here today, it's been magical," McKinley said. "The speakers have been incredible, but the most valuable part has been meeting people from all over the country who share this unique connection through football. Whether it's playing against each other years ago, sharing a coach, or just having similar experiences, the conversations here are unlike anything else. It's something I wish I had done sooner—and I'll definitely be back."
 
Two Campbell Trophy® winners: Thomas Burns (Virginia) and Jim Hansen (Colorado) attended, and five College Football Hall of Fame inductees/electees participated: Blake Elliott (Saint John's [MN]), Gordie Lockbaum (Holy Cross) Ronnie Lott (USC), Andrew Luck (Stanford) and Steve Young (BYU). Lockbaum and Young are two of only 44 former NFF National Scholar-Athletes who have also been inducted into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.