Michael Karlin ’76, MBT ’09, founding partner of NKSFB and business executive will be the 2025 commencement speaker for the USC Leventhal School of Accounting. Karlin, a USC Marshall and Leventhal alumnus, brings decades of industry expertise and leadership to inspire the graduating class.

Karlin is a founding partner of NKSFB, one of the largest business management firms in the nation, where he advises high-profile clients in entertainment, sports, real estate, and business. A proud Trojan, Karlin earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from USC Marshall in 1976 and later completed his Master of Taxation from USC Leventhal in 2009.

“I am honored to address Leventhal’s Class of 2025,” Karlin said. “I want graduates and their families to know that a degree in accounting from Leventhal is both versatile and valuable. It opens doors to a wide range of career paths and provides a strong foundation for long-term success in any industry. Most importantly, I want them to know accounting is, without a doubt, cool.”

Throughout his career, Karlin has established himself as a leader in his field, earning recognition as one of the top business managers in the entertainment industry by The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Billboard. In November 2015, Karlin received Variety’s Business Manager Elite Award for his commitment to giving back to charities and nonprofits. As he shared with Variety in 2015, his degrees from Marshall and Leventhal set him up for success in more ways than he could have imagined.

“My dad told me, ‘Get a business degree first, then you can do whatever you want, as it will be an advantage in any field,’” Karlin said in the publication.

Karlin is a member of the board of directors for the Motion Picture and Television Fund, West Coast Sports Associates, SYDA Foundation, FIDF and Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation. He currently serves on USC Leventhal’s board of advisors. Karlin is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

USC Leventhal’s commencement ceremony will take place on Friday, May 16, 2025 at McCarthy Quad. General event details can be found at USC’s 2025 Commencement website.