The University of Pittsburgh announced on Apr. 9 the lineup of speakers for its upcoming graduate and professional commencement ceremonies, which will take place during the last week of April and throughout May.
The announcement provides graduating students, their families, and the university community with details about who will be addressing each school’s ceremony this year. The ceremonies are scheduled across various venues on the Pittsburgh campus.
Among the featured speakers is Jamila Bookwala, a nationally recognized teacher-scholar who will address graduates at the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences on April 30. Amber Garrison Duncan, executive vice president at the Competency Based Education Network, will speak to graduates from the School of Education later that day. The School of Pharmacy’s ceremony on May 1 will feature remarks from PharmD Class President Alyson Coddington and PhD graduate Joshua Deppas.
Rebecca Gottlieb, vice president at Biolinq and an expert in biosensing technologies, is set to become the first woman to serve as a graduate commencement speaker for Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering. Chris DeCardy, president of The Heinz Endowments, will address public health graduates on May 2. Gene Anderson, Henry E. Haller Jr. Dean of Business; Pennsylvania Rep. Aerion Abney; Lucy Fato; Kimberly D. Manning; and several student leaders are also among those scheduled to speak at various school ceremonies throughout early- to mid-May.
Some schools have yet to announce their speakers or provided instructions for attendees to visit their websites for further updates.
For additional information about these events or other commencement activities—including undergraduate celebrations—readers can visit Pitt’s official commencement website or follow @PittCommencement on Instagram.
