Rhode Island's 2016 College Commencement Speakers

Providence College

Heather Abbott, Boston Marathon Bombing Victim

On April 15, 2013 Abbott was struck by Shrapnel when homemade bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Abbott was blown through the doorway of a restaurant before being carried to safety by Matthew Chatham, a former New England Patriot. The blast broke her ankle and shattered several bones.

After undergoing three surgeries in 4 days, Abbott made the decision to allow doctors to amputate her left leg below the knee.

Abbott was presented the presidential challenge coin by First Lady Michelle Obama and was awarded the 2015 Woman of Courage & Spirit Award from Women in Higher Education, the 2015 Stonehill Colleg President's Medal of Excellence, the 2014 Spirit of an Active Lifestyle Award from the Orthopedic Foundation, and an honorary doctoral degree in humane letters from Framingham State University.

Abbott has been employed as a human resources manager for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems since 2007 and is founder and president of The Heather Abbott Foundation.

PC's 98th  Commencement Ceremony will take place Sunday, May 15.

New England Institute of Technology

Bill Walton, Basketball Hall of Famer

Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton will give the commencement address for New England Tech.
Walton was a main anchor of John Wooden's UCLA dynasty, winning three College Player of the Year awards and two NCAA Championships.

In the NBA, Walton was a two time all-start and a two time NBA Champion, including once with the Boston Celtics.

Walton recently talked about his life in a memoir titled "Back From the Dead."

Roger Williams University

Barnaby Evans, WaterFire Founder

Barnaby Evans is the founder of Waterfire.

Evans designed his first proposal for WaterFire in 1993 for a site in Berlin. The first version of WaterFire was created in Providence in 1994 as "Fist Fire."

In June of 1996, Evans created the next WaterFire event in Providence, "Second Fire" for the International Sculpture Conference and the Convergence International Arts Festival.

WaterFire has been an ongoing event in Providence ever since, bringing in hundreds of volunteers and thousands of spectators from all over New England and the country.

He will also receive an honorary doctorate from the university during the commencement ceremony.

Roger Williams commencement is set for May 24

PHOTO: Twitter

Roger Williams Law School

U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez

Perez was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the Secretary of Labor on March 18, 2013 and was confirmed by the Senate on July 18 and sworn in on July 23.

Prior to that, Perez served as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice.

Perez is from Buffalo, New York and graduated from Brown University and Harvard Law School.

Perez will be awarded an honorary degree.

The law school ceremony will begin at 1 p.m on Friday, May 13 on the University's main athletic field. 

PHOTO: Wikipedia

University of Rhode Island

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Justice Sotomayor is the 11th Justice to serve on the Supreme Court, and the first Hispanic and third woman to reach the nation's highest judicial body. Sotomayor's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court in August of 2009.

Prior to that, Sotomayor served as judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1998-2009. In 1991, President George H.W. Bush nominated her to the U.S. DDistrict Court, Southern District of New York and she served that rolled from 1992-1998.

“We are very honored that Justice Sonia Sotomayor will join us to address our graduates on this important occasion. She is a true champion for equal rights and social justice in the 21st Century and a magnificent role model for our graduates and the entire community. We are very proud to have this unique honor to hear from someone who is now making history everyday," said URI President David M. Dooley.

Sotomayor will receive the Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa.

URI's 130th Commencement will take place on May 22.

Brown University

Kevin Gover, Director of Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian

Gover is the director of the Smithsonian Institution's national Museum of the American Indian and is a citizen of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. Gover has served as director since 2007.

Gover earned a bachelor's degree in public and international affairs in 1978  from Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.

In 1997, President Clinton nominated Gover to serve as assistant secretary for Indian affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior. He served there until 2001.

Gover will receive  an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

Brown's commencement ceremony is set for May 29

NOTE: Brown does not invite Commencement speakers for the College Ceremony.

Gover will deliver the Baccalaureate address to the Class of 2016 on Saturday afternoon, May 28 in theMeeting House of the First Baptist Church in America. With that space reserved for members of the graduating class, the Baccalaureate address will be presented on video screens for family and friends on the College Green, in Sayles Hall and in the Salomon Center for Teaching.

PHOTO: Smithsonian Newsdesk

Rhode Island College

Deloris Davis Grant, English Teacher at Central Falls

Deloris Davis Grant, a RIC Alum from the class of 1988 will serve as the commencement speaker at RIC's 162nd ceremony.

Grant is an english and drama teacher at Central Falls High School  and is the cofounder of the Upward Bound Alumni Scholarship Fund.

She will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Education degree.

Salve Regina

Dr. Barry Black

Black was the first African American to serve as chaplain of the United States Senate in 2003.
Prior to that, Black has served for 27 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a rear admiral and as chief of Navy chaplains.

Black has been selected for multiple outstanding achievements  including the 1995 NAACP Renowned Service Award for his contributions to equal opportunity and civil rights.

He also received the 2002 Benjamin Elijah Mays Distinguished leadership award  from The Morehouse School of Religion.

He will be awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters.

Salve Regina's commencement is set for Sunday, May 15.

Johnson & Wales Graduate Commencement 

Terrie Fox Wetle, MS, PhD, Dean of the School of Public Health

Wetle is the Dean of the School of Public Health, and is Professor of Health Services Research, Policy and Practice at Brown University. 

Prior to that, she was Director for the Braceland Center for Mental Health and Aging at the Institute of Living, and Associate professor of Community Medicine and Health Care. 

Wetle will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. 

Johnson & Wales graduate ceremony is set for May 19. 

PHOTO: Brown

Johnson & Wales - Morning Ceremony 

Rajendra Sisodia, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of Conscious Capitalism Inc. 

Sisodia is a professor of global business at Babson College and is the co-founder and co-chairman at Conscious Capitalism, Inc. 

Sisodia has published eight books and over 100 academic articles and in 2010 he was chosen as one of ten "Outstanding Trailblazers of 2010" by Good Business International. 

Sisodia will receive an honorary doctor of business administration. 

Johnson & Wales commencement is set of May 21 with the morning ceremony being held for the  John Hazen White College of Arts & Sciences, School of Business, School of Engineering & Design, School of Hospitality. 

PHOTO: Babson College

Johnson & Wales - Afternoon Ceremony 

Champe Carter Speidel, chef/proprietor of Persimmon and Persimmon Provisions. 

Speidel is a Johnson & Wales University alum, graduating in 2000. Speidel is currently a chef and proprietor at persimmon and Persimmon Provisions. 

He will receive and honorary Doctor of Culinary Arts. 

Johnson & Wales afternoon ceremony is for the College of Culinary Arts, School of Hospitality-Food Service Management. 

PHOTO: Restaurantunstoppable