American University today announced an inspiring slate of speakers for the 149th commencement, which kicks off May 9 in Bender Arena. The lineup includes an Academy Award nominee, a famed attorney and civil rights activist, and leaders in finance, journalism, food security, and humanitarian aid. 

“AU graduates are dedicated to lives of purpose, service, and leadership and our six outstanding 2025 commencement speakers all reflect this dedication to civic engagement,” said AU president Jon Alger. “Each of our honorees has made lasting impacts in communities around the world and they exemplify our charge to ‘dream big.’ They will further inspire our graduating Eagles as they begin their own journeys and fulfill their unique big dreams.”

About 3,000 members of the Class of 2025 will collect their diplomas during the ceremonies, joining an alumni community 150,000 Eagles strong. Meet the speakers who will offer lessons in perseverance, words of wisdom, and messages of celebration.

College of Arts and Sciences

Friday, May 9, 9 a.m.

Radha Muthiah is president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank, which anchors the DC region’s charitable food ecosystem—providing the food for more than 60 million meals a year—and operates innovative, cross-sector initiatives to address food insecurity in the long term. Muthiah was recognized as the 2021 Nonprofit Leader of the Year by the Washington Business Journal; Washingtonian magazine also named her to its list of Washingtonians of the Year and Washington’s Most Powerful Women in 2021.

Undergraduate speaker: Taraji Ellington, CAS/BS ’25, SPA/BA ’25

Graduate speaker: Sidney Murray, CAS/PhD ’25

School of International Service

Friday, May 9, 2 p.m.

Elhadj As Sy is a Senegalese global health, development, and humanitarian leader who served as the secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from 2014–2019 and has held leadership positions at such international agencies as UNICEF, UNAIDS, the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. He currently serves as chair of the board with the Kofi Annan Foundation.

Undergraduate speaker: Dario Esquibel-Melanson, SIS/BA ’25

Graduate speaker: William Price, SIS/MIS ’25

School of Public Affairs

Saturday, May 10, 9 a.m.

Colman Domingo received back-to-back Academy Award nominations in 2024 and 2025 for his starring roles as civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in Rustin and inmate Divine G. in Sing Sing, which he also executive produced. Named to the Time 100, the magazine’s list of the most influential people of 2024, Domingo also played Mister in The Color Purple, which last year received a Screen Actors Guild nomination for best cast in a motion picture.

Undergraduate speaker: Samantha Hessel, SPA/BA ’25

Graduate speaker: Talyia Bradshaw, SPA/MPP ’25

School of Education and School of Communication

Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m.

Almar Latour, SOC/MA ’96, is the publisher of The Wall Street Journal and CEO of Dow Jones. Under his leadership, Dow Jones has more than doubled digital subscriptions and achieved record profits and revenue. A native of the Netherlands, Latour has worked on three continents and has been stationed as a reporter in London, Stockholm, New York, and Hong Kong.

Undergraduate speaker: Anabella Torres, SOC/BA ’25

Graduate speaker: Faye Palad, SOC/MA ’25

Kogod School of Business and Professional Studies

Saturday, May 10, 6 p.m.

Orlando Bravo is founder and managing partner of Thoma Bravo, which has more than $179 billion under management. Bravo—one of the largest software-focused investors in the world—has overseen about 520 acquisitions, representing $275 billion in enterprise value. He is also founder and chair of the Bravo Family Foundation, which creates opportunities for young adults in his native Puerto Rico. 

Undergraduate speaker: Isabel Alvarado, Kogod/BSBA ’25

Graduate speaker: Katreen Mikhail, Kogod/MBA ’25

Washington College of Law

Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m.

Gloria Allred is an attorney and founding partner of Allred, Maroko, and Goldberg, one of the largest employment law firms in California, which has won more than $100 million for clients over the last five years, alone. Allred—who has represented clients in some of the most public and prominent cases of the last several decades—has won myriad industry awards and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2019.