John L. Hennessy

John Hennessy smiling and wearing a dark suit, white shirt and red tie

John L. Hennessy

John Hennessy served as Stanford's tenth president from 2000 – 2016.

Latest updates

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

Cuéllar, a national leader in law and public service, higher education, and international affairs assumes the role this summer as Hennessy transitions to the KHS Advisory Board.

January 15, 2026
How Knight-Hennessy scholars learn to lead through storytelling

Weekly storytelling sessions help scholars find their voice, connect with others, and lead with empathy.

September 02, 2025
Centennial Perspectives: AI and the Future of Computing

A keynote conversation between Stanford President Emeritus John Hennessy and Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA.

May 29, 2025

About John L. Hennessy

John L. Hennessy is the Co-Founder and Shriram Family Director of Knight-Hennessy Scholars, the largest fully endowed graduate-level scholarship program in the world. He is Chairman of the Board of Alphabet and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Formerly the tenth President of Stanford University, he is also a computer scientist who co-founded MIPS Computer Systems and Atheros Communications. He co-won the National Academy of Engineering’s Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering in 2022; shared the 2017 ACM A.M. Turing Prize with Dave Patterson; and received the 2012 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Medal of Honor.

See also
Knight-Hennessy Scholars