2023 COMMENCEMENT

Millard ‘Mickey’ Drexler ’62 will deliver the Keynote Address to the Bronx Science Class of 2023 during the 95th Commencement Ceremony at the United Palace Theater on June 23rd, 2023. Drexler is a household name in the fashion industry — a man who possesses the kind of discerning eye for style that has defined fashion trends for a generation and whose undeniable success has prompted global media outlets to refer to him as ‘The Merchant Prince.’ The former CEO of Ann Taylor, Gap and J. Crew, Drexler is now chairman of Alex Mill, a men’s and women’s apparel brand launched in 2013 by his son, Alex Drexler. He also remains active in the Bronx Science community, such as when he returned to the school in 2018 as an inductee to the Bronx Science Foundation’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

Born in the Bronx in 1944 to working class Jewish parents, Drexler’s childhood was defined by a rigorous work ethic that his family instilled in him. He has reflected that while he arrived at Bronx Science with “street smarts,” he wasn’t a straight A student and was intimidated by the rigorous academic community around him. He struggled initially but persevered and went on to City College, then graduated from SUNY Buffalo – the first in his extended family to graduate from college.

Drexler then began his rapid ascent in the retail industry, from an entry level job at Bloomingdale’s to a few retail executive roles to, in 1980, the CEO of Ann Taylor at the age of 35. There he made bold, sweeping changes to the company’s merchandise and personnel to dramatically turn around the struggling women’s speciality store. In 1983, with the support of his wife Peggy, Drexler moved his family to San Francisco. For the next 18 years, Drexler reinvented Gap, taking it from $400 million in sales when he joined the company to a whopping $15 billion in sales when he left. As he redefined casual dressing for America, Drexler also invented Old Navy, which launched in 1994 and became one of the fastest growing launches in retail history. Drexler eventually returned to New York City to be the CEO of J.Crew, transforming an ailing business into one of the most successful specialty retailers of its time and took it public. In 2004, he also acquired the name and rights to Madewell and turned it into a thriving business. Drexler exited J. Crew in 2018 and founded Drexler Ventures LLC. Drexler still sees himself as a normal guy from the Bronx. In fact, he often returns to the Bronx to have lunch with his grade school friends from his old neighborhood. “I’ve been very fortunate, and in hindsight, I credit my drive to growing up in the Bronx,” said Drexler. “I still show up and work hard every day, because I still feel like the underdog who has something to prove.”

For the entire Bronx Science community, Drexler is a shining example of both business acumen and work ethic; a reminder that ambition, creativity, and pride are virtues that don’t belong to any one generation. They are, like Drexler’s own personal style, timeless.

FULL ARTICLE WRITTEN BY KATIA

ANASTAS, ‘23 AND SELA EMERY, ‘23

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations and in the Security Council of the United Nations, will deliver a speech as a special government representative at the Commencement ceremony.

When President Biden announced her appointment, he declared that from the very beginning of her career she earned the name of the “people’s ambassador,” one who was “willing to meet with anyone, an ambassador, a student, working people struggling to get by, always treating them with the same level of dignity and respect.”

Her 35 year diplomatic career to date has led her to posts in Kenya, Rwanda, Switzerland, Pakistan, Nigeria and Gambia, and she served as the American ambassador to Liberia.