Hats off to the Grads: 2025 Commencement Speakers
By • May 12, 2025 0 708
We’re tipping our graduation caps to the class of 2025! Here are the highlights from commencements from local universities, with Georgetown and George Washington University’s taking place this weekend.
Georgetown University
Georgetown’s commencement ceremonies will be held this weekend. Each undergraduate and professional school will hold their own ceremony featuring different marquee speakers. Expect to see the following speakers:
- School of Continuing Studies, Healy Lawn, May 15, 3 p.m. – Steve Pemberton, managing director, Seramount
- School of Public Policy Commencement, Healy Lawn, May 15, 6 p.m. – Sam Feist (L’99), CEO of C-SPAN
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Healy Lawn, May 16, 9 a.m.- Luis Arriaga Valenzuela, S.J., president, Iberoamerican University
- School of Nursing, Healy Lawn, May 16, 12 noon – Loretta Sweet Jemmott, M. Louise Fitzpatrick Endowed Professor of Community and Home Health Nursing at Villanova
- McDonough School of Business, Graduate Ceremony, Healy Lawn, May 16, 3 p.m. – Ajaypal Banga, president World Bank Group
- College of Arts and Science, Healy Lawn, May 17, 9 a.m. – Henry Winkler, actor and author (“Happy Days,” “Barry”)
- School of Health, Gaston Hall, May 17, 12 p.m. – Maria Van Kerkhove, interim director, Epidemic and Pandemic Threat Management, World Health Organization
- McDonough School of Business, Undergrad Ceremony, Healy Lawn, May 17, 2:30 p.m. – Michael Psaros (B’89), co-founder and co-managing partner of KPS Capital Partners, LP
- Walsh School of Foreign Service, Undergrad Ceremony, Healy Lawn, May 17, 5 p.m. – Kono Taro (SFS ’86), member, House of Representatives in Japan
- Walsh School of Foreign Service, Grad Ceremony, Healy Lawn, May 17, 7:30 p.m. – Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees
- School of Medicine, Healy Lawn, May 18, 12 p.m. – Dr. Victor Dzau, president, National Academy of Medicine
- Georgetown Law, Healy Lawn, May 18, 3 p.m. – Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University
George Washington University:
GWU’s commencement celebrations are also this weekend. Their National Mall Commencement is Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Featured speakers include:
- Keynote speaker Jonquel Jones, B.A. ’19 is the 2021 WNBA most valuable player and reigning MVP of the WNBA Finals for the champion New York Liberty. She was recently named one of USA Today’s Women of the Year.
Catholic University:
Catholic University’s commencement celebrations will be on Saturday, May 17.
- The Commencement Speaker will be Catholic University alumnus Bishop Robert Barron, bishop of Winona-Rochester and founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.
American University:
AU’s commencement weekend was last weekend, but The Washington College of Law is set to graduate Saturday May 17 at 10 a.m. Featured speakers from commencement included:
- Radha Muthiah, president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank
- Elhadj As Sy, global leader in humanitarian work, global health and international development with 30+ years of experience in UNICEF, UNAIDS, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberulosis and Malaria and other international organizations.
- Colman Domingo, Academy Award nominated actor, writer, director and producer.
- Almar Latour, publisher, The Wall Street Journal and CEO of Dow Jones.
- Orlando Bravo, founder and managing partner of Thoma Bravo.
- Gloria Allred, founding partner of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg with over 50 years of legal experience.
Howard University:
Howard University’s commencement was also held the weekend of May 10. Commencement orator was LaVar Burton, actor, director, producer, author and podcaster. Honorary degree recipients included:
- Natasha Trethewey, who served two terms as the 19th Poet Laureate of the U.S.
- Emery N. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., the Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medical Engineering, a professor of health sciences and technology and a professor of computational neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Lilian Seenoi Barr, a political and community leader who has a deep commitment to justice, equality and human rights.
- Barbara Lee, the mayor-elect of Oakland, California who is the first Black woman to represent northern California in the state legislature and the U.S. Congress.
