2025 Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients
Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient
Courtney B. Vance
Award-winning Actor, SAG-AFTRA Foundation Chairman and President
Courtney B. Vance is an award-winning actor on stage, on film and in television. His credits include historically noteworthy films such as Hamburger Hill, The Hunt for Red October, The Preacher鈥檚 Wife, and The Adventures of Huck Finn. Courtney鈥檚 portrayal of Johnnie Cochran in FX鈥檚 The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, of 鈥淯ncle George鈥� in HBO鈥檚 Lovecraft Country, and of Rev. C.L. Franklin in NatGeo鈥檚 Genius: Aretha have earned him two EMMYs, a Critics Choice Award, a Black Reel TV Award, and multiple NAACP Image Awards, as well as SAG, Golden Globe, and Hollywood Critics Association nominations. He won a TONY for his performance of Hap Hairston on Broadway in Lucky Guy and is the recipient of the Bounce Trumpet Award for Excellence in Entertainment and the ABFF Honors Award for Excellence in the Arts. Courtney earned a Grammy nomination for his narration of Neil DeGrasse Tyson鈥檚 ACCESSORY TO WAR. His starring role in the criminal justice TV drama 61st Street earned him an African American Film Critics Association TV Honor. Courtney is set to star in the live action feature film Lilo & Stitch as well as the hit TV series Percy Jackson & the Olympians. He is co-founder of Bassett Vance Productions with his wife, Angela Bassett. Bassett Vance Production鈥檚 first original movie titled Heist 88 was one of the most watched original movies on the Showtime Network in 2023 and earned three NAACP Image Award nominations. He co-authored with Dr. Robin L. Smith THE INVISIBLE ACHE: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power, written by Charisse Jones and published by the GCP Balance imprint at Hachette Books Group. Courtney is also Chairman and President of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
Honorary Degree Recipient
Molly Baldwin
Roca Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Molly Baldwin is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Roca. A graduate of UMass Amherst, Molly began her professional life as a youth worker and community organizer, and soon founded Roca in 1988 for a small group of high-risk young people. For almost 35 years, she has been a tireless advocate, mentor, and community convener, reaching out to the young people at the center of violence in Massachusetts鈥� most troubled urban communities, and bringing together the major institutions, agencies, and corporations affecting their lives. With the help of engaged institutions and Roca鈥檚 committed staff, Molly鈥檚 efforts at Roca have helped over 25,000 young people make positive and profound changes in their lives. Today, Roca relentlessly reaches out to over 1,300 young adults each year across 25 communities in Massachusetts, Hartford, CT and in Baltimore, MD. Under Molly鈥檚 leadership, Roca鈥檚 Intervention Model has become one of the most effective interventions for young adults at critical risk in the nation. Molly holds a Master鈥檚 Degree in Education from Lesley University and honorary Ph.D. degrees from Salem State University and Lesley University.