University announces Commencement keynote speakers
The University will hold its 2026 Undergraduate and Graduate Commencement Ceremonies at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, on Friday, May 15, on its main campus in Dover. Nearly 1,000 graduates are expected to grace the Commencement stage and receive their degrees.
The morning Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will be held outdoors (weather permitting) at Alumni Stadium. It will feature Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO of TIAA — a Fortune 500 company and a leading provider of secure retirements and outcome-focused investment solutions — as its keynote speaker. Duckett is currently one of only two African American women leading a Fortune 500 company, and only the fifth such woman overall. Before TIAA, she held key leadership roles across the private and public sectors, including overseeing the award-winning Advancing Black Pathways initiative at JPMorgan Chase.
Under Duckett’s leadership, TIAA’s financial solutions serve millions of people and thousands of institutions, with assets growing to $1.5 trillion. She serves on the boards of NIKE, the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, the National Medal of Honor Museum, and others. From 2021 through 2025, Duckett served alongside University President Tony Allen on the White House Advisory Board for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
She has received numerous honors throughout her career, including consistent recognition as one of the most admired and accomplished leaders in corporate America by Fortune Magazine, Forbes, Barron’s, American Banker, CNBC, and others. She is also among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and a 2024 inductee into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. In 2013, Duckett founded the Otis and Rosie Brown Foundation to honor her parents by uplifting individuals who use “ordinary” means to make an “extraordinary” impact in their communities. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
The afternoon Graduate Ceremony will be held in the Dr. William B. DeLauder Theatre in the Education & Humanities Building. The keynote speaker will be Rosie Allen-Herring, the newly named President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way Worldwide. Born and raised in Mississippi as the youngest of 10 children, Allen-Herring leads one of the world’s largest privately funded nonprofit organizations, with nearly 1,800 local affiliates across more than 40 countries and territories. Consistently ranked the number one American nonprofit, United Way Worldwide engages 2.9 million volunteers and 9 million donors to raise approximately $4–$5 billion annually, focusing on education, health, and financial stability. The organization serves more than 48 million people each year.
Allen-Herring brings more than 30 years of experience in corporate finance, philanthropy, partnerships, and strategic leadership — achievements that led to her induction into the Washington Business Hall of Fame and recognition among the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100 Leaders. She serves on the boards of MedStar Health, WesBanco, Pepco Holdings – An Exelon Company, Greater Washington Partnerships, and the Urban Institute. She also serves as National First Vice President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., overseeing nearly 1,000 undergraduate and graduate chapters across the United States and 350,000 members.
University President Tony Allen will nominate both Duckett and Allen-Herring for the Doctor of Humane Letters, the University’s highest honor. Dr. Allen expressed particular enthusiasm about this year’s speakers: “I know both Thasunda and Rosie personally and have been struck by their common thread — a clear and unrelenting commitment to excellence in pursuit of service to others. They are stewards of an internal flame that should burn bright in all of us, and I hope it is lit in every graduate of
our grand institution. There is no better time in our nation’s history to declare that we hold our sacred truths to be self-evident: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our Commencement speakers embody these ideals.”
Joining them will be a chorus of joyous graduates ready to take their place of usefulness and honor in the world. Here are just a few of our NOW generation:
Noah Dixon, a 4.0 GPA Inspire Scholar from Felton, Delaware, will complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. He is one of more than 10 graduates in the Class of 2026 expected to finish their undergraduate studies with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Tymere Thomas, a Finance major and Inspire Scholar from Wilmington, Delaware, and Chaasahn Hughes, a Financial Planning and Wealth Management major from Brooklyn, N.Y., have both leveraged internship experience at long-standing partner TD Bank to secure opportunities in their field following their May 15 graduation.
Kevin Diaz, a first-generation student, will become the first Delaware State University doctoral graduate from Puerto Rico, completing a Doctor of Philosophy in Optics.
Mahin Muntasir and Razia Khan Sharme, a husband-and-wife team from Bangladesh, will graduate together, each earning a Master of Science degree in Applied Optics.
Adesola Akinwale, a 19-year-old graduate with a 4.0 GPA, will complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and has been accepted to law school at Cornell University Law, among other institutions.
Na’ja Stokes of Detroit, a Braven Scholar, Biological Sciences major, and President of the Student Government Association, reflected on her transformation at the University.
In her own words: “DSU gave me the space to grow into my voice, discover my purpose, and build confidence in my abilities. The relationships I formed and the community that embraced me became a source of strength, encouragement, and lifelong connection.”
A proud alumna of the Detroit Midnight Golf Program — one of the nation’s premier pre-college enrichment programs — Na’ja continued: “Through every challenge and milestone, I developed resilience, independence, and a stronger sense of self. I will
always cherish how DSU nurtured my growth, because I know I am leaving more self-assured, driven, and prepared for my future than when I first arrived.”