Spring Commencement Speakers Exemplify Impact, Service, and Civic Engagement
天美传媒 today announced an inspiring slate of speakers for the 149th commencement, which kicks off May 9 in Bender Arena. The lineup includes an Academy Award nominee, a famed attorney and civil rights activist, and leaders in finance, journalism, food security, and humanitarian aid.听
鈥淎U graduates are dedicated to lives of purpose, service, and leadership and our six outstanding 2025 commencement speakers all reflect this dedication to civic engagement,鈥 said AU president Jon Alger. 鈥淓ach of our honorees has made lasting impacts in communities around the world and they exemplify our charge to 鈥榙ream big.鈥 They will further inspire our graduating Eagles as they begin their own journeys and fulfill their unique big dreams.鈥
About 3,000 members of the Class of 2025 will collect their diplomas during the ceremonies, joining an alumni community 150,000 Eagles strong. Meet the speakers who will offer lessons in perseverance, words of wisdom, and messages of celebration.
College of Arts and Sciences
Friday, May 9, 9 a.m.
Radha Muthiah听is听president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank, which anchors the DC region鈥檚 charitable food ecosystem鈥攑roviding the food for more than 60 million meals a year鈥攁nd operates innovative, cross-sector initiatives to address food insecurity in the long term. Muthiah was recognized as the 2021 Nonprofit Leader of the Year by the听Washington Business Journal; Washingtonian听magazine also named her to its list of Washingtonians of the Year and Washington鈥檚 Most Powerful Women in 2021.
Undergraduate speaker:听Taraji Ellington, CAS/BS 鈥25, SPA/BA 鈥25
Graduate speaker:听Sidney Murray, CAS/PhD 鈥25
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School of International Service
Friday, May 9, 2 p.m.
Elhadj As Sy听is a Senegalese global health, development, and humanitarian leader听who听served as the secretary general of the听International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies听from 2014鈥2019 and has held leadership positions at such international agencies as UNICEF, UNAIDS, the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.听He currently serves as chair of the board with the Kofi Annan Foundation.
Undergraduate speaker:听Dario Esquibel-Melanson, SIS/BA 鈥25
Graduate speaker:听William Price, SIS/MIS 鈥25
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School of Public Affairs
Saturday, May 10, 9 a.m.
Colman Domingo听received back-to-back Academy Award nominations in 2024 and 2025 for his starring roles as civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in听Rustin听and inmate Divine G. in听Sing Sing, which he also executive produced. Named to the听Time听100, the magazine鈥檚 list of the most influential people of 2024, Domingo also played Mister in听The Color Purple,听which last year received a Screen Actors Guild nomination for best cast in a motion picture.
Undergraduate speaker:听Samantha Hessel, SPA/BA 鈥25
Graduate speaker:听Talyia Bradshaw, SPA/MPP 鈥25
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School of Education and School of Communication
Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m.
Almar Latour, SOC/MA 鈥96,听is the publisher of听The Wall Street Journal听and CEO of Dow Jones. Under his leadership, Dow Jones has more than doubled digital subscriptions and achieved record profits and revenue. A native of the Netherlands, Latour has worked on three continents and has been stationed as a reporter in London, Stockholm, New York, and Hong Kong.
Undergraduate speaker:听Anabella Torres, SOC/BA 鈥25
Graduate speaker:听Faye Palad, SOC/MA 鈥25
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Kogod School of Business and Professional Studies
Saturday, May 10, 6 p.m.
Orlando Bravo听is founder听and听managing partner of Thoma Bravo, which has more than $179 billion under management. Bravo鈥攐ne of the largest software-focused investors in the world鈥攈as overseen about 520 acquisitions, representing $275 billion in enterprise value. He is also founder and chair听of the Bravo Family Foundation, which creates opportunities for young adults in his native Puerto Rico.听
Undergraduate speaker:听Isabel Alvarado, Kogod/BSBA 鈥25
Graduate speaker:听Katreen Mikhail, Kogod/MBA 鈥25
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Washington College of Law
Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m.
Gloria Allred听is an attorney and founding partner of Allred, Maroko, and Goldberg, one of the largest employment law firms in California, which has won more than $100 million for clients over the last five years, alone. Allred鈥攚ho has represented clients in some of the most public and prominent cases of the last several decades鈥攈as won myriad industry awards and was inducted into the National Women鈥檚 Hall of Fame in 2019.