WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 1, 2026) – A unique group of acclaimed authors and journalists, leaders in international relations, public service, politics, and finance will address and celebrate 2,668 American University graduates during this year’s spring commencement Washington, D.C. campus, marking this the 151st Commencement Ceremony.
This year’s speakers (in chronological order) are: award-winning journalist and Emmy Nominee, Andrew Ross Sorkin; President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Artis Stevens; educator and poet Clint Smith; former Ambassador to the United Nations and Pulitzer Prize-winner, Samantha Power; author and former CNN CEO, Walter Isaacson; and Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD).
AU’s traditional bagpipe processional will kick off the commencement ceremonies, which will be held in Bender Arena on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9 for undergraduate and graduate students across most AU schools and colleges, and on Saturday, May 16 for the Washington College of Law. The events will be livestreamed for the extended families and friends of AU’s newest alumni who may be unable to attend the ceremony.
“American University’s 151st Commencement will bring together an extraordinary group of leaders whose lives and work reflect the very best of our mission—to turn knowledge into action and service in a complex world,” said AU President Jonathan R. Alger. “From award–winning authors and groundbreaking journalists to public servants and advocates, these speakers will challenge and inspire our graduates to dream big, lead with integrity, and use their education in service to others.”
Andrew Ross Sorkin is an award-winning journalist for The New York Times and co-anchor of Squawk Box, CNBC’s signature morning program. He is also Editor-At-Large of DealBook, the daily financial report that he launched in 2001. In 2007, the World Economic Forum named Sorkin a Young Global Leader. Sorkin is co-chair of The New York Public Library’s Business Leadership Council and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the best-selling author of 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History—named to myriad lists of the best books of 2025—and Too Big to Fail, the definitive account of the 2008 financial crisis. Sorkin coproduced the film adaptation of the latter, which was nominated for 11 Emmys. He’s also the cocreator of Showtime’s Billions. He will address the graduates of the Kogod School of Business on Friday, May 8, at 9 a.m.
Artis Stevens, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS), is a global thought leader on youth empowerment and mentorship. He is the first Black leader in the organization’s 120-year history. Under his leadership, BBBS has dramatically expanded its reach to more underserved communities and also secured a historic $122.6 million donation from MacKenzie Scott and more than doubled its annual revenue. Stevens is now executing an ambitious agenda to reach 10 million young people through mentorship. In 2024, Stevens was named to the ForbesBLK Top 50 List and, in 2025, to TIME’s 100 Most Influential Leaders in Philanthropy. Stevens will address the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences on Friday, May 8, at 2 p.m.
Clint Smith is a poet, teacher, essayist, and staff writer of The Atlantic, author of How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, the Stowe Prize, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Smith is a former National Poetry Slam champion and a recipient of the Jerome J. Shestack Prize from the American Poetry Review. He will address the graduates of the School of Education and the School of Communication on Saturday, May 9, at 9 a.m.
Ambassador Samantha Power, a Pulitzer Prize–winning author and Harvard professor, has served in top diplomatic roles under two presidential administrations. She served as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations and a member of President Obama’s cabinet. Previously, Amb. Power served as USAID Administrator from 2021-2025, where she led humanitarian responses and global health initiatives, distributing 700 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. A former war correspondent, Power has twice been named to Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People”. She will address the AU graduates of the School of International Service on Saturday, May 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Walter Isaacson is a bestselling biographer of Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs. The 2023 National Humanities Award recipient served as CEO of CNN and the Aspen Institute after beginning his career at Time magazine. Isaacson previously chaired the Broadcasting Board of Governors under President Obama and served as vice chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. His latest book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, explores the Declaration of Independence. He will address the AU graduates of the School of Public Affairs on Saturday, May 9, at 6:00 p.m.
Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee and a former constitutional law professor at WCL, where in 1999 he founded the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. Raskin served as lead impeachment manager for the second trial of President Trump and on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack. He served three terms as a Maryland state senator and is the author of several books, including 2022’s Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy. Rep. Raskin will address the graduates of the Washington College of Law on Saturday, May 16, at 10:00 a.m.
MEDIA CONTACT: AU Communications, 202-885-5950, aumedia@american.edu
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