Siena College is honored to recognize Douglas T. Hickey on the occasion of it s76th Commencement. Ambassador Hickey was named United States Commissioner General at Expo Milano 2015 by President Barack Obama in 2014. As Commissioner General, he oversaw efforts to create a dynamic USA Pavilion that told America’s food security story and activated a global conversation about the challenges of feeding the planet. The underlying theme of how to feed the more than 9 billion people who will inhabit the earth by 2050 endures. It is one of the most important issues challenging the world. More than 140 countries participated in the conversation with creative ideas on how to solve this critical issue. It was one of the few times that countries large and small agreed on something so significant.
Prior to his appointment in Italy, Ambassador Hickey was President and CEO of San Francisco-based BinWise Inc., the leading provider of analytics to premier restaurant, hotel and entertainment groups around the world. He has more than 30 years of operational experience holding senior-level positions in the telecom, Internet and technology industries. He was Managing Director of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, one of Silicon Valley’s leading venture capital firms, for more than 10 years. Before Hummer Winblad, he was CEO of Critical Path, the leading provider of messaging services to corporations around the globe. Ambassador Hickey was President and CEO of Global Center, which became one of the first and largest providers of advanced web hosting and content distribution on the web. After selling Global Center to Frontier Communications, he was named President of Frontier Global Center and Executive Vice President of Frontier Communications Corporation. Ultimately, the combined operation was successfully sold to Global Crossing. Prior, he was CEO of MFS Datanet, the data division of MFS. MFS led the effort to build the infrastructure that was a key element in the development of today’s internet. The company was taken public and ultimately sold for more than $15 billion to MCI WorldCom.
His work in the public sector included serving as Northern California Finance Co-Chair on Secretary Kerry’s Presidential campaign. He also was a member of the National Finance Committee for President Obama’s campaign in 2008 and 2012, as well as Co-Chair of the California Finance Committee.
Recognized as a “Builder of Siena,” he became one of the principal donors to the College’s Values and Visions Capital Campaign in 2000 by creating the Douglas T. Hickey Chair in Business, the College’s first and only academic chair in its School of Business. His philanthropy to Siena includes making the lead gift to the Douglas T. Hickey Technology Center, home of the Will Raub Trading Room. He received his B.S. in Economics from Siena in 1977.
He joined the Siena College Board of Trustees in 2001 and served on all of the Board’s committees over the ensuing nine years. In 2007, he was awarded the College’s prestigious Professor Joseph A. Buff Award for outstanding career achievement.
Ambassador Hickey has brought credit to himself and Siena through 40 years of service to the College, through his tireless work on behalf of the poor in the Catholic Diocese of San Francisco, to his professional career as an innovator in the field of telecommunications and financial management, and through his civic leadership culminating in his appointment by President Obama as Commissioner General.
In recognition of his lifetime of exemplary achievement, leadership, and service in the public, private, and non-profit sectors of our society, Siena College awards Douglas T. Hickey the honorary degree, Doctor of Humanities.