More than 5,000 parents, friends and well-wishers are expected to converge on the Fredericksburg campus to celebrate the University of Mary Washington’s 104th commencement ceremonies Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9.
Steven R. Staples, superintendent of public instruction for the Virginia Department of Education, will give the graduate address on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium. Pamela Bridgewater, a Foreign Service officer who served as U.S. Ambassador in three countries, will speak at the undergraduate ceremony on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. on Ball Circle.
Steven R. Staples
As Virginia’s 24th superintendent, Staples serves as the executive officer of the Virginia Department of Education, the administrative agency for the commonwealth’s public schools. He also serves as secretary of the Board of Education.
Previously, Staples served for two years as the executive director of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents. He also was a faculty member at the College of William and Mary from 2008-2012 and worked in various capacities in four Virginia school divisions. In 1997, he was selected as Virginia Superintendent of the Year.
Staples received his doctorate in education administration and supervision from Virginia Tech, a master’s degree in education administration and supervision, as well as a bachelor’s degree in history and English from the College of William and Mary.
Pamela E. Bridgewater
Bridgewater retired from active duty in the U.S. Diplomatic Service in 2013 with the rank of Career Ambassador after 34 years of distinguished service. Bridgewater has served as U.S. ambassador in three countries under three different presidents: President Bill Clinton appointed her U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Benin; President George W. Bush named her U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana, and President Obama appointed her as Ambassador to Jamaica.
Among her extensive overseas tours, she became the first African-American woman to serve as consul general in Durban, South Africa, during the historic transition from Apartheid to a non-racial government. As the political officer assigned to cover Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress, a former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa said, “Bridgewater established a degree of trust and confidence with Mr. Mandela and the ANC leadership that the U.S. had not previously enjoyed.”
Her contributions to international affairs and public policy have resulted in numerous commendations, including two U.S. Presidential Meritorious Service Awards, the Charles Cobb Award for Trade Promotion, Department of State Superior Honor Awards and the Secretary of State’s Career Achievement Award.
The Fredericksburg native earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Virginia State University and a Master of Arts degree in political science from the University of Cincinnati. She completed course work and advanced to candidacy for the PhD degree from the American University School of International Service. She holds honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Cincinnati and Virginia State University, and an honorary Doctor of Public Service from Morgan State University.
For more information about the commencement ceremonies, visit www.umw.edu/commencement or call the Office of University Events and Conferencing at (540) 654-1065.
