Commencement Speaker

Sage Steele is one of ESPN’s most popular and respected commentators, currently serving as the lead host for SportsCenter on the Road and for the weekend editions of NBA Countdown,…

Lin-Manuel Miranda is an award-winning composer, lyricist, and performer, as well as a 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award recipient. His most recent musical, Hamilton - with book, music and lyrics by…

In an historic effort, Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun was elected to serve as the only black member of the United States Senate in 1992, and the first and only woman…

Novelist, essayist and cultural critic Zadie Smith was born in North London in 1975 to an English father and a Jamaican mother. She studied English at Kings College, Cambridge, where…

Nicci Gilbert-Daniels is an entertainment industry veteran with over two decades in the business. As the lead singer and songwriter for Brownstone, the accomplished songbird has sold millions of records…

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum is a psychologist, administrator, and educator who has conducted research and written books on the topic of race, focusing specifically on race in education, racial identity…

Classically trained, award-winning actor, Viola Davis has conquered every medium from stage to television to film.

Tom Rinaldi is one of the most respected sports journalists in America. An ESPN correspondent since 2002, Rinaldi has 12 national Sports Emmy Awards and more than 40 Emmy nominations…

Steve Wozniak is best known as the co-founder of Apple Computer, which helped shape the personal computer industry with the popular Macintosh. An inductee to the National Inventors Hall of…

Grammy-winning I Will Survive was recorded in 1978 as Gloria Gaynor’s tale of personal strength and would become the greatest disco anthem of all time and the banner for social…

Walter Robb’s passion for organic, all-natural produce began over 40 years ago, gaining experience as a retailer, farmer and consultant throughout his career. Today as Co-CEO of the Fortune 500…

Geoffrey Canada has been president and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, for the past 20 years. Canada is nationally recognized for his pioneering work helping children and families in…

Melissa Harris-Perry is the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University. There she is the Executive Director of the Pro Humanitate Institute and founding director of the Anna Julia…

An award-winning journalist, committed to tackling some of this country’s most intractable problems, author and activist, Sonia Nazario, is a leading advocate responsible for generating national attention to critical social…

Jack Hanna, animal celebrity and zookeeper extraordinaire. Hanna revolutionized zoo habitats for animals by transitioning the Columbus Zoo from cage-like enclosures to "habitat environments" during his tenure there as zoo…

Ray Kurzweil is one of the world’s leading inventors, thinkers, and futurists, with a thirty-year track record of accurate predictions.

Emmy winner and Super Bowl Champion Michael Strahan currently co-hosts ABC’s Good Morning America and serves as an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday. This summer, Strahan hosted the top-rated primetime…

Trevor Noah made his debut as host of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Daily Show on Comedy Centra.

Jon Lovett is co-founder of Crooked Media, where he co-hosts the podcast “Pod Save America” and hosts “Lovett or Leave It.” Prior to this, he was the co-creator, executive producer,…

Don Lemon anchors CNN Tonight with Don Lemon during weekday primetime and serves as a correspondent across CNN’s U.S. programming. Based out of the network’s New York bureau, Lemon joined…

Acknowledged as the Godfather of Hip-Hop, Russell Simmons is the visionary behind Def Jam, the legendary label that launched the careers of such artists as Run DMC, the Beastie Boys,…

Indra Nooyi is chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo. In its global food and beverage portfolio, PepsiCo has 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated…

Julieanna L. Richardson followed a unique path in heading up the largest national collection effort of African American video oral histories on record.

A beloved television icon and entertainment pioneer, comedian Ellen DeGeneres has a distinctive comic voice that has charmed audiences worldwide from her first stand-up comedy appearances through her recent work…

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, drummer, author, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, music journalist, and record producer. Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is the drummer and co-founder of the Grammy award-winning hip hop band The Roots. He's…

Chris Powell is the trainer and transformation specialist from ABC’s highly rated documentary style series “Extreme Weight Loss.” With an unyielding dedication to helping others, Chris traveled the country using…

As host and executive producer of the late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" for the ABC, Jimmy Kimmel is a busy man.

Pulitzer Prize-winner Natasha Trethewey served two terms as the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States (2012-2014). In his citation, Librarian of Congress James Billington wrote, “Her poems dig beneath…

Terrie M. Williams, one of Ebony magazine’s “Power 150” for Activism and Woman’s Day magazine “50 Women On A Mission To Change The World,” is an advocate for change and…

During the summer of 2011, Jess Ekstrom participated in an internship at a wish-granting organization for kids with life-threatening illnesses. During this incredible experience, she quickly discovered that there were…

Former Minnesota Congresswoman, Michele Bachmann became the first Republican woman elected to represent Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was listed in Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People”…

As a result of her wide ranging and ground breaking career, Shonda Rhimes, creator of ABC’s hit television dramas Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, developed a television drama about the…

Actor Nick Offerman, best  known for his role as Ron Swanson on NBC's “Parks and Recreation” Offerman is also a humorist, woodworker and the author of the New York Times…

Jason Collins, the first openly gay National Basketball Association "NBA" player, recently was in a Sports Illustrated cover story, Collins became the first active male player in any of the…

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, has served as President of UMBC (The University of Maryland, Baltimore County) since 1992. His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special…

Since starting out on the NY comedy-club scene, the Brooklyn native's dry, off-kilter sensibility has been found in his writing as well as his (more infrequent) acting. In 1999 Larry…

CNN personality Van Jones was a special advisor to the Obama White House. A Yale-educated attorney, he is also a best-selling author, an award-winning social entrepreneur and a national leader…

The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, president and founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, is one of America's foremost political figures. Called the "conscience of the nation" and "the great unifier," he…

Derek Jeter, a five-time World Series champion Turn 2 Foundation. For the duration of the evening, Jeter was joined on-stage by Fox News lead analyst and former MLB second baseman…

Host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, contributing editor at The Atlantic, and Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria is widely respected for his thoughtful analysis and ability to spot economic and…

Randi Zuckerberg believes in being a three-dimensional woman of many titles. After all, life is too short to pick just one! She is the Founder & CEO of Zuckerberg Media,…

Andrew P. Napolitano joined Fox News Channel (FNC) in January 1998 and currently serves as the senior judicial analyst. He provides legal analysis on both FNC and Fox Business Network.…

On January 21, 2001, the United States Senate confi rmed Dr. Rod Paige as the 7th U.S. Secretary of Education. For Paige, the son of a principal and a librarian…

Known for the challenging roles she's played on film and in television, critically acclaimed actress Alfre Woodard's work has earned her an Oscar nomination, four Emmy Award wins and 16…

Bob Woodward has worked for The Washington Post since 1971. He and Carl Bernstein are the authors of All the President’s Men and The Final Days. Woodward has won nearly…

Venus Williams is an athlete, entrepreneur, best-selling author, Olympic Gold medalist, activist, designer, and tennis champion. Williams entered the pro ranks of the Women's Tennis Association when she was 14…

Montel Williams earned his media celebrity status as an inspirational Emmy Award winning television personality whom Americans invited into their homes for more than 17 years. He is a decorated…

Throughout her performing career, Vanessa Williams has maintained a reputation as one of the most respected and multi-faceted entertainers in the world, amassing one accomplishment after another. She has conquered…

Brian Williams, Journalist at NBC News, currently serving as chief anchor on the cable network MSNBC and host of the network's nightly flagship program, The 11th Hour with Brian Williams.…

Pharrell Williams, the Grammy awarding winning musician and entrepreneur whose recent collaboration with Despicable Me 2 has inspired the world to be “happy,” Starting his producing career as one half…