Spring is in the air, and that means college commencement season. Below is a running list of the commencement speakers who will address crowds at graduations across Massachusetts. The list includes political and business leaders, academics, actors, and activists. They’ll dispense advice and try to impart something memorable to the thousands of graduates receiving diplomas across the state.
Anna Maria College
Who‘s speaking? Kelsa L. Zereski, president of Reliant Foundation Inc., a charity that offers mental and behavioral health support to residents of the Central and MetroWest regions of Massachusetts.
When: 10 a.m. Monday, May 12
Where: DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester
Watch the livestream.
Assumption University
Who‘s speaking? Jeffrey W. Talley, a retired three-star general who served as the 32nd chief of Army Reserve and commanding general of the US Army Reserve Command, the highest rank and position for a member of the Reserve. He is currently president and CEO of the P3i Group, an advisory services firm, and a senior advisor to Equifax, a credit bureau company.
When: 10 a.m. Sunday, May 18
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Where: DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester
Watch the livestream.
Babson College
Who‘s speaking? Linda Henry, CEO and co-owner of Boston Globe Media. Henry became the CEO of Boston Globe Media Partners in 2020, and, along with her husband John Henry, owns the Boston Red Sox and the Liverpool Football Club.
When: 9:45 a.m. Saturday, May 17
Where: Wellesley campus
Watch the livestream.
Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology
Who‘s speaking? Rich Benoit, a YouTuber with more than 1.5 million subscribers who rebuilds cars. He is one of the co-founders of The Electrified garage, dedicated to repairing electric vehicles.
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When: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17
Where: Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology auditorium, Boston
Watch the livestream.
Bentley University
Who‘s speaking? Jeremy Jacobs Jr., CEO of Delaware North and an alternate governor for the Boston Bruins.
When
Where: Bentley football field
Watch the livestream.
Berklee College of Music
Who‘s speaking? André Benjamin, known as André 3000, a nine-time Grammy Award-winning artist, and Sara Bareilles, a singer and songwriter who‘s won two Grammy Awards, three Tony Award nominations, and three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Benjamin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025, and Bareilles’ songs have been streamed more than 3.5 billion times worldwide.
When: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10
Where: Agganis Arena, 925 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
Watch the livestream.
Boston College
Who‘s speaking? Dame Louise Richardson, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a philanthropic foundation that works to reduce political polarization. She was previously the head of the University of Oxford in England.
When: 10 a.m. Monday, May 19
Where: Boston College Alumni Stadium
Watch the livestream.
Boston University
Who‘s speaking? Emily Deschanel, an actor best known for her role as Dr. Temperance Brennan in the TV show “Bones.”
When: 1 p.m. Sunday, May 18
Where: Boston University Nickerson Field
Watch the livestream.
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Brandeis University
Who‘s speaking? Jonathan D. Sarna, historian of American Judaism and Brandeis professor. He was formerly the president of the Association for Jewish Studies and chief historian of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.
When: 9 a.m. Sunday, May 18
Where: Brandeis Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, Waltham
Watch the livestream.
Bunker Hill Community College
Who‘s speaking? Kim Driscoll, Massachusetts lieutenant governor. She was previously the mayor of Salem. She and Governor Maura Healey are the first-ever, all-female executive office holders in the state.
When: 11 a.m. Thursday, May 22
Where: MGM Music Hall at Fenway, 2 Lansdowne St., Boston
Clark University
Who‘s speaking? Esther Duflo, the Abdul Latif Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at the Massachusetts Institute and Technology and co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at MIT. She‘s won numerous prizes for her research on how to alleviate poverty with social policies.
When: 10 a.m. Monday, May 19
Where: DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester
Watch the livestream.
Curry College
Who‘s speaking? Quincy Miller, vice chair, president, and COO of Eastern Bank. Before joining Eastern Bank in 2016, he was the President of Citizens Bank, Massachusetts.
When: 10 a.m. Sunday, May 18
Where: Xfinity Center, 885 S. Main St., Mansfield
Watch the livestream.
Emerson College
Who‘s speaking? Jennifer Coolidge, Golden Globe-winning actress. She‘s best known for her roles in “The White Lotus,” “Legally Blonde,” and “American Pie.”
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When: 10 a.m. Sunday, May 11
Where: Agganis Arena, 925 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
Watch the livestream.
Emmanuel College
Who‘s speaking? Marian Ryan, district attorney of Middlesex County, the state‘s only woman district attorney.
When: 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10
Where: Emmanuel campus
Watch the livestream.
Endicott College
Who‘s speaking? Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, a pilot and diplomat who is best known for “The Miracle on the Hudson,” when he and his crew safely landed a disabled aircraft in the Hudson River.
In 2021, Sullenberger was appointed US Ambassador and Representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization by former president Joe Biden.
When
Where: Endicott Hempstead Stadium, Beverly
Watch the livestream.
Fisher College
Who‘s speaking? Pedro Martinez, a Hall of Fame pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox from 1998 to 2004, and his wife, Carolina Cruz Martinez, president of the Pedro Martinez Foundation. The foundation provides education, health, and sports programs to struggling youths.
When: 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10
Where: Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkeley St., Boston
Watch the recording.
Fitchburg State University
Who‘s speaking? Peter H. Reynolds, a best-selling author and illustrator. Reynolds is behind the children’s books “The Dot,” “The Word Collector,” and “Be You.”
When: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17
Where: Main quadrangle of Fitchburg State campus
Watch the livestream.
Framingham State University
Who‘s speaking? Latoyia Edwards, an Emmy Award-winning anchor on NBC10 and NECN.
When: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 24
Where: DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester
Watch the livestream.
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Gordon College
Who‘s speaking? Makoto Fujimura, an internationally renowned artist whose work has been featured in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, The Huntington Library, the Tikotin Museum, and Pola Museum, among others. He is also the author of five books and previously served as a presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts.
When: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17
Where: Gordon College Quad
Hampshire College
Who‘s speaking? Manuel “Manny” Castro, commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, will tell graduates about his journey from an undocumented child to a community organizer.
When: 11 a.m. Saturday, May 17
Where: Hampshire Library Lawn, Amherst
Watch the livestream.
Harvard University
Who‘s speaking? Abraham Verghese, a physician, writer and professor of medicine at Stanford, whose work focuses on emphasizing empathy and humanity in medicine. Verghese authored “The Covenant of Water,” a best-selling novel. He received the Heinz Award in 2014 and the National Humanities Medal in 2015.
When: 9:30 a.m. May 29
Where: Harvard Yard
Watch the livestream.
College of the Holy Cross
Who‘s speaking? Linda LeMura, president of Le Moyne College and academic. With research interests in pediatric obesity and pediatric physiology, LeMura has written more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific articles and an internationally translated textbook. She‘s served as a research consultant for both the US and Italian Olympic committees.
When: 10:15 a.m. Friday, May 23
Where: DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester
Lasell University
Who‘s speaking? Nancy Castle Donahue, real estate sales agent and former model who has led a “dynamic career across multiple industries, including fashion, food, and fitness, according to the university announcement.
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When: 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10
Where: Taylor Field on Lasell’s Newton campus
Watch the livestream.
Lesley University
Who‘s speaking? Allison Schmitt, four-time Olympic swimmer and advocate for mental health. She‘s a 10-time Olympic medalist, including four gold medals, and her most recent games were in Tokyo in 2020.
When: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17
Where: Leader Bank Pavilion, 290 Northeastern Ave., Boston
Watch the livestream.
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Who‘s speaking? Brian Collins, co-founder of design agency COLLINS. Throughout his career, Collins has designed for numerous large brands including Spotify, Facebook, Target, and Nike. He‘s also a professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York.
When: 1 p.m. Thursday, May 22
Where: Leader Bank Pavilion, 290 Northern Ave., Boston
Watch the livestream.
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Who‘s speaking? Kiese Laymon, professor of English and creative writing at Rice University, author, and recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship.
When: 11 a.m. Saturday, May 17
Where: Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium, North Adams
Watch the livestream.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Who‘s speaking? Hank Green, YouTuber and entrepreneur. Along with his brother John Green, Hank Green has launched a number of projects, including VidCon, the world’s largest gathering that celebrates online vide, YouTube educational channel Crash Course, and educational media company Complexity.
When: 10 a.m. Friday, May 30
Where: Killian Court
Watch the livestream.
Montserrat College of Art
Who‘s speaking? Paul Emmanuel, a Zambia-born artist who is a Fulbright Scholar and preparing an exhibition at The Smithsonian.
When: 10 a.m. Friday, May 16
Where: The Cabot, 286 Cabot St., Beverly
Watch the livestream.
Mount Holyoke College
Who‘s speaking? Maura Healey, Massachusetts governor and former attorney general. She is the first woman and openly LGBTQ+ person to be the state‘s governor.
When: 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 25
Where: Pageant Green, South Hadley
Watch the livestream.
New England Conservatory
Who‘s speaking? Chad Smith, president and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Before joining the BSO in 2023, Smith was the chief executive of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
When: 2 p.m. Sunday, May 18
Where: Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St.
New England Law, Boston
Who‘s speaking? Ed Davis, former Boston police commissioner who led the department’s response to the Boston Marathon bombing. Before that, Davis was the superintendent of the Lowell Police Department, and he currently leads a security consulting and crisis management firm, The Edward Davis Company.
When: 11 a.m. Friday, May 16
Where: Boch Center Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St., Boston
Northeastern University
Who‘s speaking? Elliot Grainge, CEO of Atlantic Music Group. Grainge established his own indie label 10k Projects and, at 30 years old, was selected to lead Atlantic Music Group.
When: 4 p.m. Sunday, May 11
Where: Fenway Park
Watch the livestream.
Regis College
Who‘s speaking? Beverly Malone, the president and CEO of the National League for Nursing. She was previously the deputy assistant secretary for health under president Bill Clinton and the first African American general secretary of the United Kingdom Royal College of Nursing.
When: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10
Where: Leader Bank Pavilion, 290 Northern Ave.
Watch the livestream.
Roxbury Community College
Who‘s speaking? Thea James, vice president of Mission and the associate chief medical officer of the Health Equity Accelerator at Boston Medical Center. RCC’s announcement described James as a “visionary leader in the field of public health who has dedicated her career to addressing the health equity gap.”
When: 1 p.m. Friday, May 16
Where: Reggie Lewis Center, 1350 Tremont St.
Watch the livestream.
Salem State University
Who‘s speaking? Carlos Santiago, retired commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. Upon his retirement in 2023, the state Board of Higher Education awarded Santiago the title of commissioner emeritus.
When: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17
Where: Richard B. O’Keefe Sports Complex, 225 Canal St., Salem
Watch the livestream.
Simmons University
Who‘s speaking? Sandra L. Fenwick, former CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital. Fenwick has received several awards for her contributions to healthcare and business, including the Greater Boston Chamber’s Pinnacle Award, and was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians.
When: 9 a.m. Friday, May 16
Where: MGM Music Hall at Fenway, 2 Lansdowne St., Boston
Watch the livestream.
Smith College
Who‘s speaking? Danielle Allen, professor at Harvard and chairperson of Partners in Democracy; Evelyn M. Harris, former member of the world-renowned a capella group Sweet Honey in the Rock; Admiral Rachel L. Levine, 17th assistant secretary for health for the US Department of Health and Human Services; and Preeti Simran Sethi, Emmy-award winning writer, academic, and mental health coach.
When: 10 a.m., Sunday, May 18
Where: Smith College Quadrangle, Northampton
Watch the livestream.
Stonehill College
Who‘s speaking? Joe Castiglione, retired announcer for the Boston Red Sox for 42 seasons. He‘s had the longest tenure of any broadcaster in Red Sox history.
When: 10 a.m. Sunday, May 10
Where: Stonehill Quad, Easton
Watch the livestream.
Suffolk University
Who‘s speaking? Dr. Frida Polli, a neuroscientist, inventor, and entrepreneur who founded pymetrics, an AI company, will address the College of Arts and Sciences. John Fernandez, the president and CEO of Brown University Health, will speak at the Sawyer Business School ceremony.
When:
College of Arts and Sciences: 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 18
Where: Leader Bank Pavilion, 290 Northern Ave., Boston
Tufts University
Who‘s speaking? Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president emeritus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. His research and publications focus on science and math education, and he was appointed chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans by former president Barack Obama.
When: 9 a.m. Sunday, May 18
Where: The Green at Tufts
Watch the livestream.
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Who‘s speaking? David Korins, an award-winning set designer and creative director. He‘s known for his work on “Hamilton,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” and “Beetlejuice: The Musical.”
When: 5 p.m. Friday, May 16
Where: McGuirk Alumni Stadium
Watch the livestream.
University of Massachusetts Boston
Who‘s speaking? Andrea Joy Campbell, attorney general of Massachusetts. She was the first woman to represent District 4 when she won her seat on the Boston City Council in 2015 and the first Black woman to hold the title of city council president.
When: 10 a.m. Thursday, May 29
Where: UMass Boston, Campus Center Lawn, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston
Watch the livestream.
Urban College of Boston
Who‘s speaking? Humanitarian and author Malaak Compton-Rock. He is the founder of Angelrock Project South Africa Trust, a nonprofit that provides assistance to orphaned and vulnerable children and people living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa.
When: 1 p.m. Saturday, May 31
Where: Cutler Majestic Theater
Wellesley College
Who‘s speaking? Isabel Wilkerson, author and journalist who has won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Humanities Medal. She‘s authored “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration” and “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.”
When: 10:30 a.m., Friday, May 16
Where: Severance Green
Watch the livestream.
Western New England University
Who‘s speaking? Martin J. Walsh, executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association and former US secretary of labor and mayor of Boston.
When: 10 a.m. Thursday, May 15
Where: MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield
Watch the livestream.
Westfield State University
Who‘s speaking? Quinton Lucas, mayor of Kansas City, Mo. He is the youngest person elected to the role since 1855.
When: 11 a.m. Friday, May 16
Where: MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield
Watch the livestream.
Wheaton College
Who‘s speaking? Kirk Kolenbrander, senior lecturer in MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He‘s been a senior adviser to three MIT presidents. Also speaking is Toshiko Mori, founder and principal of Toshiko Mori Architect and professor of architecture at Harvard, and America Parnell, Ph.D., president of NASPA Student Affairs Administrations in Higher Education.
When: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 17
Where: Wheaton’s The Dimple
Williams College
Who‘s speaking? Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation. The foundation works to build a democratic culture to encourage people to make change in their communities.
When: 10 a.m. Sunday, June 8
Where: Williams Quad
Watch the livestream.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Who‘s speaking? Michelle Gass, CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. Before Levi’s, Gass worked as the CEO of Kohls and as president of Starbucks Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
When: 2 p.m. Friday, May 16
Where: DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester
Watch the livestream.
Correction: This article was updated to remove an incorrect speaker for the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Emily Spatz can be reached at emily.spatz@globe.com. Follow her on X @emilymspatz.