Chief of Naval Operations Inducted into Medill Hall of Achievement at Northwestern University

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EVANSTON, Ill. (May 9, 2024) - Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti was one of seven alumni who were inducted into the 2024 Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement at Northwestern University, May 9.

This is the highest honor Medill bestows on its graduates. Franchetti offered brief remarks at the ceremony reflecting on her time at Medill and what this award means to her.

Her full remarks are below:

"Well thank you very much, and what an honor it is to be here tonight. Good evening and thank you, Dean Whitaker and Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. It is an incredible honor for me to receive this award, but as equally important to receive it alongside these other amazing recipients. So again, what an honor to be here.

You know, I remember the day that the letter came to my house that said I was accepted to Medill. It was an amazing day, it was a dream come true. When I arrived here on campus back in September of 1981, I was ready to pursue my dream of becoming a journalist. And then a funny thing happened. I was walking around doing that check-in sheet that we had to do during freshman orientation week, and I was coming back from Patten gym and I was walking down the other side of the road, and there were some people playing football - throwing a football around in a parking lot right across from [tech]. So I stopped by to talk to them, and I asked them what they were doing, and they were NROTC students. They said they were going to be in the Navy and Marine Corps, and oh, by the way, they can give me a $100 a month, free books, and probably a scholarship. I thought, as one of six kids that sounded like a really good thing.

So I signed up on the spot. I got those free books, I got free tuition, and I got that scholarship that I really, really needed. So, it is kind of funny 38 years later, I'm now standing here as the chief of naval operations. And I think that's in large part thanks to what I learned here at Northwestern and at Medill.

And though I never got to become the journalist that I dreamed of becoming, I think Medill gave me a really strong foundation. It taught me to ask questions, it taught me to always be curious, and it taught me how to tell a story.

So let me just tell a quick story. It's kind of funny that we all have some memory of Professor Dick Hainey. So, I was a coxswains when I was here at Northwestern. Crew had just started up. And one of the things I did to motivate my rowers before a regatta is write them a little note every night, I'd slide it under the door before the big race. And I needed a lot of quotes. So I started writing down things that my professors would say.

One of the things Professor Hainey said - another Medill alum, he was a member for the inaugural class receiving this award. He told us one day that "not all roses open up on the same day."

I jotted it in my book, I didn't really think anything of it, and as I reflect on it 41 years later, I can say that sentiment became one of the most important tenets of my leadership philosophy. And it has really helped me be able to build great teams and empower people every day to bring their best to work, and accept that people - like roses - do indeed "bloom" in their own way and at their own pace.

I am confident that Professor Hainey never knew the impression he made on me, but I am forever grateful to him, and to this university for my experience, and for teaching me to respect our differences and value them as strengths and opportunities.

So, thank you very much to Medill for this great foundation that you gave me and for this incredible honor. And I want to say a remote thank you to my husband, Jim, and my daughter, Isabel - who had an AP exam today - for supporting me throughout my career … and a special thanks to Paul Lehman and Ronna Stamm, and my C-100 teammates that are here today. Thank you for your support and to all my professors - past and present - for what they did for me. Thank you very much."

The Medill Dean, Charles Whitaker, also spoke at the ceremony.

"These seven individuals have distinguished themselves with exceptional accomplishments in their fields, from media to top brands to government," said Medill Dean Charles Whitaker. "It is a pleasure to be able to recognize their impressive contributions with induction into the Hall of Achievement."

Photos from the induction ceremony can be found here: