Joseph Sun ’96 MBA

Choosing Kellogg time and again 

“A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers.” 

Joseph Sun ’96 MBA lives by this Chinese proverb. An established member of the Kellogg Leadership Circle, founder of the NU-Kellogg Club of Taiwan and winner of the Northwestern Alumni Association President’s Award, Joe began giving to Kellogg immediately following graduation, despite his student loans awaiting repayment. 

“It just felt natural for me to give back and to inspire and help younger generations,” Joe reflects. “You give what you can, when you can.”

Since that first gift, Joe’s commitment has grown into a sustained investment of both time and philanthropy in the Kellogg and Northwestern communities. His career has spanned investment banking, private equity and hedge fund management, and through each transition, he’s used the values and lessons he learned at Kellogg as a compass.

“The hallmark of my Kellogg education was how I learned to become brave, open-minded and innovative,” Joe says. “With those values I was able to break into new fields whenever there was an opportunity.”

Today, Joe is the founder and managing partner of Solaris Capital Advisors and remains deeply committed to enriching Kellogg and NU in meaningful, lasting ways.

Following opportunity

Joe hails from a small village in southern Taiwan known for its citrus production. The son of two schoolteachers, Joe's parents encouraged him to seek opportunity wherever it might lead, even if that path carried him far from home.

When Joe was accepted to Taiwan’s top high school at 15 years old, he moved to the capital city alone at his parents’ behest and rented half a room from a boarding house. Years later, when researching business schools, Joe’s parents urged him once again to seek out the best opportunity.

He had been accepted to several programs and was awarded generous scholarships from two of them. Even so, he felt compelled to choose Kellogg, despite the bigger financial commitment. His father insisted this was the right decision and offered to guarantee a bank loan, confident in Kellogg’s long-term value.

“We decided to send him to a top-tier school so he could receive the best education, meet the most talented people and build meaningful lifelong relationships,” Joe’s father says.

To this day, Joe remains grateful that his father supported his decision to attend Kellogg. The experience proved life-changing, setting in motion a ripple effect that has since touched countless others. The fragrance of the flower his father placed in his hands all those years ago still lingers, carried forward in both of their palms.

High-yielding investments

Over the last 30 years, Joe has established himself as a pillar of the alumni community both on campus and abroad. He plays an active role in interviewing potential students and shaping incoming MBA classes, reinforcing the strength of the broader alumni network in turn.

“Over the last few decades, I've been wearing many hats for Northwestern and Kellogg,” Joe says. “I felt like I had an opportunity and a responsibility to help shape the incoming classes at Kellogg.”

In 2012, he founded the Kellogg Club of Taiwan, which partners with both Kellogg and NU to expand access for prospective students across the region. As the current president of the NU Club of Taiwan, Joe leads 500+ alumni in conducting more than 150 interviews each year, contributing to rising application and acceptance rates. In 2022, the club reached an unprecedented 100% yield rate among accepted students.

“A very underrated quality of being a leader is to be a cheerleader,” says John Wang ’96 MBA, senior managing partner at WTT Investment and Joe’s Kellogg roommate. “Joe is without a doubt the number one cheerleader not just for Kellogg, but also for Northwestern here in Taiwan. Right now, Kellogg is not only in the conversation, but more importantly, it’s beating out the competition and yielding students to attend.”

Joe’s involvement doesn’t end with admissions. He remains a mentor through students’ time at Kellogg and well into their careers. He supports their transition to campus life, encourages deep engagement with Kellogg’s resources and regularly helps place Kellogg students into selective roles. His enthusiasm is contagious and inspiring, and he leads with a steady hand that instills confidence.

“What makes people successful is their passion, and I think that rubs off in the circles around him,” John says. “He’s 100% maniacal.”

Seeing purple as a privilege

Joe wears his love for Kellogg not just on his sleeve, but also on his shoes and his desk and in his living room. His pride shows up in his trademark purple wardrobe, in the northwest-facing corner of his office decked out in NU memorabilia and in the many small details that surround him at work and at home.

“If you go back to ancient times, purple was reserved for royalty in both Chinese and Roman empires,” Joe says. “A Kellogg education is a privilege that opens many doors.”

Joe’s admiration for Northwestern extends well beyond his own experience. Soon, three members of the Sun family will count themselves among Northwestern alumni. Joe’s wife, Jenny Liu, is currently earning her master's in counseling at the Family Institute and his eldest daughter, Isabelle Sun ’25, ’26 MiM, is a graduate of Kellogg’s Master in Management Program.

While he has enjoyed a successful career in finance, Joe maintains that supporting and uplifting Kellogg and Northwestern is his true job. His personal mantra is “the more you give, the more you receive.”

In 2026, Joe received the Wade Fetzer Award, which recognizes outstanding dedication and loyalty in support of the Kellogg alumni community. “The best investments I have made are in human capital," Joe says. "Because the returns can be infinite."