93rd Annual Commencement Speakers Address 2012 Graduates

May 07, 2012

BROOKLYN AND LONG ISLAND, NY May 8, 2012 St. Josephs College is pleased to welcome two distinguished speakers to its 93rd annual commencement ceremonies:

Suzanne Nossel, executive director of Amnesty International USA will serve as the keynote speaker for the Brooklyn Campus exercises on Sunday, May 20 at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge at 11 a.m. and will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Theresa A. Regnante, president and chief executive officer of United Way of Long Island will serve as the keynote speaker for the Long Island Campus ceremonies on Tuesday, May 29, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum at 3 p.m. and will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Suzanne Nossel assumed her role as executive director of Amnesty International USA in January 2012, after a successful career as deputy assistant secretary for international organizations at the U.S. Department of State, where she was responsible for multilateral human rights, humanitarian affairs, womens issues, public diplomacy, press and congressional relations. She led the nations engagement in the United Nations Human Rights Council, resolving human rights issues on Iran, Syria, Libya, Cote dIvoire, freedom of association and freedom of expression, and led the first U.N. resolution on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. Nossel is the author of "Smart Power, an article in Foreign Affairs magazine that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a defining feature of U.S. foreign policy. She has also authored Presumed Equal: What Americas Top Women Lawyers Really Think About Their Firms and founded the blog DemocracyArsenal.org. Nossel received her J.D. degree and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School; she earned her bachelors degree magna cum laude from Harvard College.

Theresa A. Regnante became the president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Long Island in May 2009. During her tenure, she has developed strong community partnerships throughout Long Island and has expanded the organizations fundraising efforts with a revenue growth of over 43 percent. Regnante also secured $1.5 million in government, corporate and private grants to create a workforce training center for the unemployed and underemployed of Long Island. In 2011, she received the Long Island Federation of Labors Leadership Award for her efforts in advocating for Long Island families, and was honored by the Child Care Council of Suffolk County for her support of quality child care in society. Regnante was twice named as one of the "Top 50 Women in Business by Long Island Business News.