Santa Clara University will award an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree to Jayshree V. Ullal, an accomplished alumna and technology industry trailblazer, during its 2025 undergraduate commencement. The ceremony, scheduled for June 14, will be the university’s largest, celebrating graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences, Leavey School of Business, and School of Engineering.
Ullal, who earned her M.S. in engineering management from SCU in 1986, will also deliver the commencement address. Speaking before over 1,400 students and their families, she will share insights from a career marked by innovation, resilience, and transformational leadership.
Originally from London and raised in New Delhi, Ullal moved to the United States for her education, completing her bachelor’s in electrical engineering at San Francisco State University. Her early professional journey included positions at AMD and Crescendo Communications, the latter of which was later acquired by Cisco. At Cisco, Ullal helped spearhead the company’s breakthrough Catalyst switching business.
Her defining role came in 2008, when she became CEO of Arista Networks, a company focused on cloud networking. Under her leadership, Arista transformed into a billion-dollar giant, revolutionizing data center networking. She led the company to a successful IPO in 2014 and received widespread recognition, earning spots on Barron’s “World’s Best CEOs,” Fortune’s “Top 20 Business Persons,” and Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year.” The Economic Times named her “Global Indian of the Year,” and she was recognized twice by Silicon Valley Business Journal as part of the “Silicon Valley Power 100.”
Ullal is also known for championing diversity and inclusion in the tech world, mentoring women leaders, and serving on several advisory boards. Through her philanthropic foundation, she and her husband support cancer research, hunger relief, and social service programs in India.
In 2013, she was honoured with the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award from SCU’s School of Engineering, the institution’s most prestigious accolade. Her return to campus as commencement speaker reaffirms her legacy as an innovator, mentor, and global force in technology and social impact.
