Commencement

It is a privilege to share that Francisco L. Borges will be Millbrook School’s 94th Commencement Speaker. Mr. Borges, a proud alumnus of the Class of 1970, has a long history with Millbrook as a student, alumnus, and trustee. Millbrook connections also extend widely across his family. His brother, Peter, followed in his footsteps as a member of the Class of 1976, and he has encouraged and supported four nephews to follow suit: Caleb ’13, Daniel ’16, and two graduates of the great Class of 2025, Marcus and Peter.

Mr. Borges was born in Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, as the eldest of five children. After graduating from Millbrook, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Trinity College in 1974 and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1978. Mr. Borges’ own journey from Millbrook student to distinguished public servant and financial leader is a testament to the power of resilience, education, and service.

He has had an extraordinary career in both the public and private sectors. He served as deputy mayor of the City of Hartford and was twice elected as Connecticut’s State Treasurer. During his tenure, he made national headlines by divesting the state’s pension funds from companies doing business in apartheid-era South Africa and Northern Ireland. In the private sector, he served as managing director at Financial Guaranty Insurance Company, and later, as chairman and managing partner at Landmark Partners, an institutional alternative investment firm. Most recently, he was a partner and co-head of Secondary Solutions at Ares Management.

Beyond his professional achievements, Mr. Borges has been a steadfast advocate for civic engagement, philanthropy, and education. He currently chairs the board of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and serves on the boards of Assured Guaranty Ltd., Jefferies Financial Group, and Selected/Clipper Funds. He has brought invaluable insight and care to his service as a Millbrook trustee, first from 1980 to 1986, and again from 2013 to the present. We are honored to welcome him to the Commencement stage at Millbrook to share his story, wisdom, and vision with the Class of 2025, their families, and friends.