Georgia Southern University Announces Spring 2015 Commencement Speakers

April 3, 2015

Georgia Southern University has selected Judge Dean Bucci, Superior Court, Paulding Judicial Circuit, and Pamela McMichael, director of Highlander Research and Education Center, as the speakers for the 2015 spring commencement ceremonies on May 8 and 9.

Pamela McMichael

McMichael will speak Friday, May 8, at 1 p.m. at Hanner Fieldhouse during the commencement ceremony for graduate students. She first became associated with Highlander as a long-time activist and organizer in Louisville, Kentucky. For decades now, her organizing and cultural work have focused on connecting people and issues across difficult divides. She has co-founded local, state and regional organizations with this core strategy, including Southerners on New Ground, where she served as co-director for eight years.

She was a national fellow with a Rockefeller Foundation leadership project to address the growing crisis in U.S. democracy, and her extensive nonprofit management experience includes social change and social service organizations.

Judge Dean Bucci

Bucci will address undergraduates as they receive their degrees on Saturday, May 9, at 9 a.m. at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. The first Hispanic Superior Court Judge in Georgia history, he was appointed to succeed Judge James Osborne on Jan. 7, 2015, by Governor Nathan Deal.

Bucci has served on local boards such as the Fellowship of Christian Athlete’s Paulding County Board and the Advisory Board of Paulding CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), as well as the Juvenile Court Liaison to MAP (Meth Alliance Paulding) and as the Committee Chair of Cub Scouts Pack 1916. While in private practice, he regularly volunteered his time and skills to support Legal Aid for those who could not afford private counsel.

Watch both spring commencement ceremonies live and get more information by visiting www.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/commencement.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125-degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. www.GeorgiaSouthern.edu.