Congresswoman, business leader among TWU commencement speakers

April 14, 2022 — DENTON — U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, dean of the Texas Congressional Delegation, and Texas Woman’s alumna Merrilee Kick, an entrepreneur who became the first woman owner of a winery/distillery in the country, highlight the list of speakers during May commencement ceremonies at TWU.

Commencement activities begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 8 in The Woodlands, where roughly 315 graduates from Texas Woman’s Houston campus will take part in the university’s first spring graduation exercise. The keynote speaker at that event will be alumna and 2020 Cornaro Professor Sandra Cesario, Ph.D.

All other commencement ceremonies will take place at Kitty Magee Arena in Pioneer Hall at the university’s Denton campus. In all, approximately 1,820 candidates for graduation from the university’s Denton and Dallas campuses are expected to participate.

Commencement for graduates in the School of the Sciences and the School of Social Work, Psychology & Philosophy in the College of Arts & Sciences will be at 9 a.m. Friday, May 13. Karen Dunlap, Ph.D., TWU’s 2022 Cornaro professor, will be keynote speaker.

College of Arts & Sciences graduates in the School of Arts & Design, the Department of Language, Culture & Gender Studies, the Department of Social Sciences & Historical Studies, General Studies and Professional Studies will participate in a ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. Friday, May 13. Keynote speakers for that ceremony are Das (CEO) and Nipa (Co-Founder) Nobel of Frisco-based MTX, a business technology company.

College of Professional Education graduates will participate in a ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 13, with Helen Benjamin, Ph.D., a member of the TWU Foundation Board, as keynote speaker.

Graduates in the College of Business will take part in a ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 14. Kick, who founded the company Buzzballz/Southern Champion, which specializes in ready-to-drink cocktails and premium spirits available in 45 states and 21 countries, will give the keynote address.

College of Health Sciences graduates in the Department of Communication Sciences & Oral Health, the School of Health Promotion & Kinesiology and the Department of Nutrition & Food Sciences will participate in a ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 14. Cornaro professor Dr. Dianna Hynds will give the keynote address.

The final ceremony will be for graduates in the College of Nursing and the schools of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, under the College of Health Sciences, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14. Congresswoman Johnson, whose public service career has spanned nearly 50 years and includes elected positions in the Texas House and Senate, will be keynote speaker.