Meet the MITAA president: Stephen P. DeFalco ’83, SM ’88
New leader of the Alumni Association seeks engagement across generations.

The grandson of Italian immigrants, Stephen P. DeFalco ’83, SM ’88, was part of the first generation in his family to go to college. Attending MIT was a life-changing experience, he says, and that’s why his goal as the incoming president of the MIT Alumni Association is to ensure that the MITAA helps the Institute change lives of those in future generations.
DeFalco, whose one-year term begins July 1, earned his mechanical engineering degree from MIT in three and a half years to save his family money. He took a job at IBM, which paid for his master’s in computer engineering from Syracuse University. Then he returned to MIT to get a master’s degree from the Sloan School of Management—and discovered his true passion. “Sloan really solidified in my mind that one day I wanted to be a CEO of a global technology company,” he says.
That dream came true in 2003 when DeFalco was tapped to lead the biotech firm US Genomics (now PathoGenetix). He is currently executive chairman of the electronics manufacturing services company Creation Technologies, a role he assumed in 2019. Previously, he had been a partner at the private equity firm Lindsay Goldberg, president and CEO of the currency maker Crane & Co., and president and CEO of MDS, a publicly traded life sciences company.
“You never meet an MIT alum who’s not a fascinating person. They’re all exciting and opinionated and energetic. That’s what inspires me.”
DeFalco has a long history of volunteering with MIT. He is a member of the Corporation Visiting Committee for Student Life and the Sloan Americas Executive Board. He has also served on the MITAA’s board of directors, the Annual Giving Board, and a wide range of committees—including his Class of ’83 Reunion Gift Committee. In 2018, he was honored for his alumni service with the Margaret MacVicar ’65, ScD ’67, Award.
What sticks with you from your time at MIT?
Like most people in the pre-internet age, I grew up in a small world. I lived in a blue-collar neighborhood in New York, and I didn’t even know what a chief executive officer was—let alone understand a career like investment banking or consulting. When I came in as an undergraduate, MIT introduced me to a whole different world.
My horizons were broadened again when I returned for graduate school at Sloan. My plan had been to study the management of technology, but while I was there a lightbulb went off. I realized that my skill lies in integrating disciplines, and I wound up concentrating in strategy, marketing, and operations.
I think Sloan was very good at teaching fact-based business fundamentals, and over the years that has saved me from jumping on whatever is the business fad of the day. I also learned a lot there about the power of teams. I really believe that five people working on a great team can outperform 100 people who aren’t aligned.
What inspired you to give back to MIT as a volunteer?
Truth be told, I was only somewhat connected to MIT for a number of years. I was very busy with family (I have four kids) and with my career. But that changed when I moved back to Boston in 2011. By then I was at an age and stage where I had a little more time to give back. So I met with the then dean of the Sloan School, David Schmittlein, and asked how I could be helpful. That eventually led to my joining Sloan’s executive board, which I’ve been on ever since.
I’m also a proud alumnus of Delta Tau Delta, so I’ve been very involved with supporting both my individual house and MIT’s system of fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups [FSILGs]. I think the system creates a lot of support for students and gives them opportunities to learn about leadership and working with a community, so I have worked on initiatives to enhance the FSILGs.
In 2019, I was asked to join the Association board, and I’ve since served the MITAA in a couple of different capacities. I like to joke that leaving the Alumni Association is like leaving the CIA—you can’t really get out.
What are you most looking forward to as MITAA president?
I think it’s absolutely fascinating to get out in the field and talk to different alumni about their experiences and what things they think the Institute could or should be doing. You never meet an MIT alum who’s not a fascinating person. They’re all exciting and opinionated and energetic. That’s what inspires me. So I’m looking forward to having deep interactions with our alumni around the world—to meeting them where they are and finding out how the Alumni Association can be a more important partner in their lives.
What will you focus on during your time in office?
The demographics of our alumni have been slowly changing over the past 40 years. One of my goals is to make sure the MITAA remains in front of those changes as opposed to catching up with them. For example, the MIT undergraduate community is now approximately half women, so I want to make sure we have enough programming for those alums—events such as the MIT Women’s Conference.
Our graduate school alumni population has also been growing, so I want to be sure we are serving the needs of this group. I have some personal insight here because two of my children are grad-only alums. I can tell you that when MIT does something great, I hear about it at the family dinner table. And if there is anything controversial, I get immediate feedback. So we need to continue to work to understand what grad alums want and need from the Association.
Ideally, I want to make sure that we are always engaging with our young alumni early to create lasting connections to the MITAA. I think we’ve been building a solid foundation. My goal is to show that the Association can be a lifelong partner to these recent grads.
I also want to say that I think the next couple of years are likely to be tumultuous for every research institution, including MIT. I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge, so I am looking forward to working with the alumni, the phenomenal MITAA staff, and the Institute’s administration to navigate these waters. I’m energized to help us sail through this period and ensure we continue to thrive.
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