It’s that time of year again! We are pleased to share the speakers and dates for the 2026 commencement ceremonies at Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States and Belize.
Fordham University
Le Moyne College
Loyola University New Orleans
Boston College: May 18 (Undergraduate, Graduate), May 22 (Law)
Undergraduate, Graduate: Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher (Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations for the Holy See), Law: David J. Barron (Chief Judge of the US First Circuit Court of Appeals)
Canisius University: May 16 (Undergraduate, Graduate)
Arts, Education and Sciences: Kelly Ryan (president of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA), Business, Communications and Health Studies: Damon J. Young ’02 (award-winning writer, cultural critic and satirist)
College of the Holy Cross: May 22
Charlie Baker (president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association; former governor of Massachusetts)
Creighton University: May 14 (School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, School of Medicine, School of Dentistry), May 15 (Graduate School, School of Law), May 16 (Undergraduate), May 17 (Phoenix Campus: School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, School of Medicine)
Catherine L. Hughes, HON’06 (founder and chairwoman of Urban One, Inc.)
Fairfield University: May 16 (Graduate), May 17 (Undergraduate)
Undergraduate: Stuart Weitzman (internationally acclaimed footwear designer and entrepreneur), Graduate: Maggie Doyne (co-founder and chief executive officer of the BlinkNow Foundation)
Fordham University: May 16
Hoda Kotb (journalist, bestselling author, and CEO)
Georgetown University: May 7 (Georgetown University in Qatar), May 14 (School of Continuing Studies, McCourt School of Public Policy), May 15 (Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Berkley School of Nursing, McDonough School of Business [Graduate]), May 16 (College of Arts & Sciences, School of Health, McDonough School of Business [Undergraduate], Walsh School of Foreign Service), May 17 (School of Medicine, Georgetown Law)
Georgetown University in Qatar: Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulla Al Thani (Chairman, Musafir.com and High Camp Holding Company); School of Continuing Studies: Merve Cinarli Hickok (President, Center for AI and Digital Policy); McCourt School of Public Policy: Cindy McCain (Executive Director of the World Food Programme); Graduate School of Arts & Sciences: Mary Beard (Professor Emerita of Classics, University of Cambridge); Berkley School of Nursing: Mary Wakefield (Former Acting Deputy Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services); McDonough School of Business [Graduate]: Essya Hanachi (B’91) (Senior Finance Executive and Former CFO, U.S. Personal Banking at Citigroup); College of Arts & Sciences: James Farley Jr. (C’85) (President & CEO, Ford); School of Health: Dr. Kedar Mate (Founder & Chief Medical Officer of Qualified Health AI); McDonough School of Business [Undergraduate]: Tom Brady (7x Super Bowl Champion; Lead NFL Analyst for Fox Sports and Entrepreneur); Walsh School of Foreign Service [Undergraduate]: John Kerry (68th U.S. Secretary of State and Former Senator); Walsh School of Foreign Service [Graduate]: Comfort Ero (President & CEO, International Crisis Group); School of Medicine: Dr. Carlos Pellegrini (Former Chief Medical Officer, Professor and Chair Emeritus for University of Washington Medicine); Georgetown Law: David Cole (Hon. George J. Mitchell Professor in Law and Public Policy)
Gonzaga University: May 9 (Graduate, Law), May 10 (Undergraduate)
Undergraduate: Lisa Fortier (Gonzaga women’s basketball coach), Graduate: Dr. Monica Bertagnolli (former National Institutes of Health Director), Law: Salvador Mungia (Washington State Supreme Court Justice)
John Carroll University: May 16 (Graduate), May 17 (Undergraduate)
Undergraduate: Chuck Todd (veteran political journalist), Graduate: Catherine Hickman (Assistant General Manager of the Cleveland Browns)
Le Moyne College: May 16
Kerry Alys Robinson (president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA)
Loyola Marymount University: May 16 (Undergraduate), May 17 (Graduate, Law)
Undergraduate: Venus Williams (tennis champion and entrepreneur), Graduate: Ben Sherwood (CEO and publisher of The Daily Beast), Law: Judge Anthony Devos Johnstone (United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit)
Loyola University Chicago: May 5 (School of Education; School of Environmental Sustainability; Graduate School; Institute of Pastoral Studies), May 6 (Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing; Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health; School of Social Work; School of Communication; School of Continuing and Professional Studies), May 7 (Quinlan School of Business), May 8 (College of Arts and Sciences), May 9 (School of Law, Stritch School of Medicine), August 15 (Arrupe College)
Arrupe College: Michèle Alexandre, JD (Dean, School of Law, Loyola University Chicago); College of Arts and Sciences [Morning]: Joy Jordan (BA ’08) (Founder, Fortem Voluntas); College of Arts and Sciences [Afternoon]: Kelly Younger (MA ’96) (Screenwriter and Professor of English, Loyola Marymount University); College of Arts and Sciences [Evening]: Marcia Faustin, MD, FAAFP, CAQSM (BS ’07) (Associate Clinical Professor of Family and Sports Medicine; Co–Head Team Physician, University of California, Davis Athletics); Quinlan School of Business: Juliana Pidner Hsu (MBA ’18) (Managing Director, DRIVE Catalyst); School of Education & School of Environmental Sustainability: Emily Graslie (Science Communicator, Museum Professional & Multimedia Producer); School of Communication & School of Continuing and Professional Studies: Lou Canellis (BA ’87) (Sports Anchor, NBC 5 Chicago; Chairman, Avli Foods); Graduate School & Institute of Pastoral Studies: Reuben Miller (Ph.D. ’13) (Associate Professor, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice, University of Chicago; MacArthur Fellow); School of Law: Ambassador Fay Hartog-Levin (Ret.) (JD ’75) (Distinguished Fellow, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs); Stritch School of Medicine: Kamran M. Mirza, M.D., Ph.D. (Godfrey Dorr Stobbe Professor of Pathology Education at the University of Michigan Medical School); Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing: Laura Ferrio, RN, CRRN, NEA-BC (MBA ’93, MSN ’93) (Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab); Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health: Jennifer E. Layden, M.D., Ph.D. (Senior Vice President, Association of State and Territorial Health)
Loyola University Maryland: May 16
Carrie Fox ’01 (founder and CEO of Mission Partners)
Loyola University New Orleans: May 9
V. Rev. Thomas P. Greene, S.J. (Provincial, Jesuits UCA Central and Southern Province)
Regis University
Saint Louis University
University of San Francisco
Marquette University: May 9 (Undergraduate, Graduate)
Undergraduate: Chris Duffey ’96 (best-selling author; leader in artificial intelligence), Graduate: Mike Gousha (award-winning journalist; senior advisor in law and public policy at Marquette Law School)
Regis University: May 2 (Graduate, Doctoral), May 3 (Undergraduate)
Undergraduate: Sr. Sen Nguyen (members of the Sisters of St. Francis at Marycrest; founder of non-profit organization, Bridging Hope), Graduate and Doctoral: Ken Salazar (former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, and U.S. Senator)
Rockhurst University: May 9
Dr. Donna Carroll (president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities)
Saint Joseph’s University: May 11 (Lancaster Campus), May 13 (College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education and Human Development, School of Health Professions and Philadelphia College of Pharmacy), May 14 (Erivan K. Haub School of Business, Master’s Programs), May 15 (Doctoral Programs)
Remarks will be delivered by students at each ceremony.
Saint Louis University: May 16
James Gunn ’92 (writer, producer and director of “Superman”)
Saint Peter’s University: May 16
Ije Akunyili, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.A. (chief medical officer of Jersey City Medical Center)
Santa Clara University: May 23 (Jesuit School of Theology, School of Law), June 13 (Undergraduate, Graduate)
Undergraduate: Dee Dee Myers ’83 (best-selling author; first woman to serve as White House Press Secretary)
Seattle University: June 14 (Undergraduate, Graduate)
Undergraduate: Robert Paylor (author and motivational speaker), Graduate: Dr. Thomas J. Lynch, Jr. (world-renowned scientist, oncologist, and leader of National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers)
Spring Hill College: May 9
Dr. Jenny Hofmeister (marine scientist and octopus expert)
St. John’s College (Belize): May 28
Main Speaker: Dr. Alice Peralta (president of St. John’s College)
The University of Scranton: May 24 (Undergraduate, Graduate)
Undergraduate: Dr. Douglas Brinkley (nationally celebrated historian, scholar and producer), Graduate: Dr. Karen L. Pennington ’76, G’83, H’15 (higher education leader; member of first co-educational class at Scranton)
University of Detroit Mercy: May 8 (School of Dentistry, School of Law), May 9 (Undergraduate, Graduate)
Undergraduate, Graduate: Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, CM (former president of DePaul University and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities), School of Law: Brian K. Zahra ’87 (Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court), School of Dentistry: Dr. Judith Jones (Adjunct professor, Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry)
University of San Francisco: May 21 (School of Education), May 22 (School of Management, School of Law, School of Nursing and Health Professions), May 23 (College of Arts and Sciences)
School of Education: Shabnam Koirala-Azad, Ph.D. (Dean of the School of Education, University of San Francisco), School of Management [Undergraduate]: Jack Boland ’78 (Chairman, University of San Francisco Board of Trustees), School of Management [Graduate]: Mark L. Vorsatz (Global Chairman and CEO, Andersen Group Inc.), School of Law: Hon. Martin J. Jenkins ’80 (Justice, Supreme Court of California), School of Nursing and Health Professions: Keith Dawson, DNP, MS ’12 (Senior Director, Population Science, Product Development Clinical for Genentech), College of Arts and Sciences [Undergraduate Humanities & Science Students]: Dorothy M. Ehrlich ’72 (Former Deputy Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union), College of Arts and Sciences [Undergraduate Arts & Social Science Students]: Rita Moreno (Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Grammy award-winning actress and singer), College of Arts and Sciences [Graduate]: Jose Antonio Vargas (Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and founder of Define American)
Xavier University: May 16 (Undergraduate, Graduate)
Lieutenant General Michael D. Barbero (Retired)
Contact: Deanna Howes Spiro, Vice President of Communications, AJCU
(202) 862-9893, dhowes@ajcunet.edu