California State University, Dominguez Hills is pleased to announce the speakers for its 2013 Commencement Ceremonies, scheduled to take place over two days, Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, at The Home Depot Center Tennis Stadium on the university campus.
“It is an honor to welcome such accomplished individuals as our 2013 commencement keynote speaker, all of whom are leaders in their fields,” said Interim President Willie J. Hagan. “It is especially gratifying to welcome two of our own prestigious alumni as keynote speakers this year, both of whom personify the promise and possibility before our graduates and exemplify the value of a CSU Dominguez Hills education and their respective degrees.”
Nancy Carlson (’94, B.S. Nursing; ’96 M.P.A.)
CEO, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center San Pedro
College of Professional Studies, School of Health and Human Services, School of Nursing
3 p.m., Fri., May 17
The Honorable John Chiang, California State Controller
College of Business Administration and Public Policy
6:30 p.m., Fri., May 17
The Honorable Janice Hahn, U.S. House of Representatives, 44th District
College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences
8 a.m., Sat., May 18
Sam Enriquez (’85, B.A. Economics), Senior Editor, Page One, The Wall Street Journal
College of Arts and Humanities, and College of Extended and International Education
11 a.m., Sat., May 18
Dr. John Deasy, superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District
College of Education
3 p.m., Sat., May 18
CSU Dominguez Hills will also welcome a special guest speaker to its College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences Commencement Ceremony. CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White has chosen CSU Dominguez Hills as one of his first commencements as head of the system.
Approximately 3,100 undergraduate and graduate students are expected to walk in commencement this year, representing students who completed their degree in the summer and fall of 2012, and those who completed or expect to complete their degrees during spring or summer 2013. The ceremonies will be broadcast live at http://dhtv.csudh.edu.
For more information, visit www.csudh.edu/commencement.
CSUDH Commencement Speaker Bios
Nancy Carlson– A two-time alumna of CSU Dominguez Hills, Carlson has served as CEO of Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in San Pedro since 2001. Under her leadership the medical center has received national recognition for high quality of patient care and financial management. She began her health care career as a clinical nurse, inspired to enter the profession as the mother of two children with cystic fibrosis. After 15 years she transitioned from nurse to administrator, and has since served in a variety of senior administrative positions in Southern California health-care systems. Carlson received her associate’s degree in nursing from Santa Monica College, and her bachelor’s in nursing and master’s in public administration from CSU Dominguez Hills.
The Honorable John Chiang–California’s chief fiscal officer, after having been elected to the position in November 2006 and re-elected in 2010, Chiang began his career as a tax law specialist for the Internal Revenue Service, and served as an attorney for former California Governor, then-State Controller Gray Davis and on the staff of California Senator Barbara Boxer. His first elected office was as a member of the California Board of Equalization in 1998, to which he was elected for a second term in 2002 and served as chair for a number of years. Born in New York City to Taiwanese immigrants, he grew up in Chicago and received his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Southern Florida and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
The Honorable Janice Hahn– Elected to Congress in 2011 and re-elected in 2012, Hahn is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 44th District of California, which stretches from San Pedro to South Los Angeles between the 110 to the 710 freeways. First a teacher and a businesswoman, Hahn didn’t follow in her political family’s footsteps until 1997, when she was elected to the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission. In 2001, she won election to the L.A. City Council, representing the 15th District until 2011. As a member of Congress, she sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Committee on Small Business. She is the ranking member on the Small Business Subcommittee on Health and Technology, and on the Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation. She received her bachelor’s in education Abilene Christian University and holds an honorary doctorate from Pepperdine University.
Dr. Timothy White–Dr. Timothy P. White began leading the largest four-year public university system in the country when he took over as chancellor of The California State University in December 2012. In doing so he became the first alumnus of the CSU to serve in that position. White is the former chancellor of the University of California, Riverside, and past president of the University of Idaho. He has served as dean, provost and executive vice president at Oregon State University, and held positions as professor and chair of the Department of Human Biodynamics at UC Berkeley, and professor and chair of the Department of Movement Science and research scientist in the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Michigan. He is a product of California Master Plan for higher education, having received an associate’s degree from Diablo Valley Community College, a bachelor’s at Fresno State, a master’s at CSU East Bay, and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. Born in Argentina, White is the first in his family to graduate from college.
Sam Enriquez–As senior Editor, Page One, for The Wall Street Journal, Sam Enriquez uses his bachelor’s degree in economics from CSU Dominguez Hills to help him edit enterprise and breaking news stories on macroeconomics, politics, corporations, and foreign affairs for the front page of the largest newspaper in the United States. Enriquez began his career in journalism as a reporter for Easy Reader in Hermosa Beach while a student at CSU Dominguez Hills, and within days of graduating in 1985, he began work at the Los Angeles Times as a temporary reporter. He spent more than 20 years there as a reporter, assistant city editor, city editor and foreign correspondent in Mexico City. At the LA Times, he directed coverage of two Pulitzer Prize-winning breaking news stories. He joined the The Wall Street Journal in 2008 and worked as the paper’s national news editor through the financial crisis and its aftermath. He was promoted to his current position in 2011.
Dr. John E. Deasy– As superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District, Dr. John Deasy oversees the overall educational and administrative activities of the second largest school district in the nation. Previously he served as deputy director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and superintendent of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and Coventry Public Schools in Rhode Island. The son of teachers, Deasy followed in their footsteps and began his career teaching science at a military academy in Long Island. He has a bachelor’s degree in biology/chemistry education, a master’s in education administration from Providence College in Rhode Island, and a doctorate in education from the University of Louisville. He has been a Broad Fellow, an Aspen Institute Entrepreneurial Leaders for Public Education Fellow, an Annenberg Fellow, and a State Superintendent of the Year. Deasy is a nationally recognized expert on education reform and serves on numerous boards.
