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CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE

Meet Our Honorary Degree Recipients

Honoring Impactful and Significant Contributions to Higher Education

What is an honorary degree?
91勛圖厙 bestows upon select individuals a Doctorate of Humane Letters, which is a non-academic degree that recognizes and honors individuals who have made significant and impactful contributions to their respective industries, the field of education, or directly to 91勛圖厙 itself. These individuals exemplify the values and principles espoused by 91勛圖厙 and their achievements serve as inspiration for our graduating class and the broader community.

What are the criteria for receiving 91勛圖厙s honorary degree?
Candidates are selected through a balanced evaluation of their contributions to academia, the workforce, philanthropy, and their alignment with 91勛圖厙s mission to change lives for the better by creating pathways to opportunity.

Who awards 91勛圖厙s honorary degrees?
91勛圖厙s Board of Trustees is responsible for evaluating and selecting individuals to receive an honorary degree. Honorary degrees are presented during 91勛圖厙s Commencement ceremonies across the country. Recipients are given a diploma, are hooded with traditional regalia, and address 91勛圖厙s graduating class as a commencement speaker.

Recent Honorees

Deborah Quazzo

April 25, 2026, at New York City Commencement
Lives in: Chicago, IL

Deborah Quazzo is the Managing Partner of GSV Ventures, a venture fund investing in education and workforce skills technologies that are disrupting the $7 trillion global sector. The fund invests globally - primarily in the US and India. Ms. Quazzo has been named to Insider's list of top 100 seed investors three times. In addition, she is co-founder of the ASU+GSV Summit, the preeminent gathering of leaders in education and workforce skilling. Now in its 17th year, the ASU+GSV Summit celebrates innovations and innovators, and attracts over 7,000 leaders from "Prek to Gray" education and workforce skills. Ms. Quazzo serves on the boards of Ascend Learning, Degreed, Dreamscape Learn, Ellucian, Kyron Learning, Turnitin and Uplimit.

She is a member of the board of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. She serves on the GEMS Global Schools Prize Council and The Dean's Leadership Council Advisory Committee at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Ms. Quazzo graduated cum laude with a B.A. in history from Princeton University in 1982 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1987. She and her husband, Stephen, live in Chicago and have three children and three grandchildren.

Jay Timmons

April 25, 2026, at New York City Commencement

Jay Timmons is president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, the largest manufacturing association in the United States and the most influential voice for the 13 million men and women who make things in America.

One of the longest-serving trade association CEOs in the country, Mr. Timmons is a trusted leader among business and political circles alikewidely recognized for helping manufacturers achieve the policy wins that have shaped the American economy over the past decade. Under his leadership, the NAM has doubled in size and delivered landmark victories, including historic tax reform, regulatory modernization, landmark investment in infrastructure and reshaped the perception of manufacturing and manufacturing careers in the U.S.

Mr. Timmons has also built the NAM into a full-scale platform for the industry, expanding legal advocacy, strengthening its voice in the courts and the public square, and advancing workforce programs that are now national models. As chair of the Manufacturing Institute, he has led efforts to close the skills gap and connect more Americans with careers in modern manufacturing.

Mr. Timmons leadership is grounded in the NAMs founding values: free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.

John R. Ingram

November 15, 2025, at Atlanta Commencement
Lives in: Nashville, TN

John R. Ingram was named Chairman of the Ingram Industries Inc. Board of Directors in 2008, having served as Vice Chairman of the Board since 1999. He is also the lead owner of Nashville SC and the Chairman of Ingram Content Group LLC.

Mr. Ingram is a graduate of Princeton University, where he received a bachelors degree in English in 1984. In 1986, he received his Master of Business Administration from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.

Mr. Ingram joined Ingram Industries Inc. in 1986, serving early in his career as the Assistant Treasurer and also as President of Tennessee Book Company (which became part of Ingram Content Group LLC in 2009). He later served as President of Ingram Book Company, Vice President of Purchasing for Ingram Micro Europe and Director of Purchasing for Ingram Micro Inc. He served as a member of the Ingram Micro Inc. Board of Directors from 1996 to 2016.

In 2017, as lead investor, Mr. Ingram spearheaded the effort to bring Major League Soccer to Nashville. In December of that year, the MLS Board of Governors awarded the city of Nashville an expansion team, a huge success for the city and Nashville soccer fans. Nashville Soccer Club opened their brand new, 30,000 person stadiumthe largest soccer stadium in the United Stateson May 1, 2022.

Also in 2022, Mr. Ingram was named Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Tennessean of the Year for his efforts to further the cause of athletics across the state. He continues to be active in a number of other civic, educational and charitable causes. He is a member of the Board of Trust for both the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Montgomery Bell Academy. He actively supports Vanderbilt Athletics and Currey Ingram Academy. He is Chair of the Tennessee Advisory Board of Western Governors University and the Tennessee Business Leadership Council.

Mr. Ingram is married with four children.

Dr. Bridget Long

August 23, 2025, at Boston Commencement

Bridget Terry Long is aHarvard University Distinguished Service Professor and the Saris Professor of Education and Economics at the (HGSE). She is a Research Associate of the (NBER) and has been elected to the, the, and the .Long is an economist whose work focuses on improving educational opportunities and student success with a focus on the transition to higher education and beyond.Her work has provided evidence on financial aid policies, postsecondary remedial education, andcollege support programs. She has also developed and evaluated interventions that help students complete financial aid forms, save for college, and persist in higher education.

Long served as Dean of HGSEfrom 2018 to 2024 and led the school through a major redesign of their masters program, the COVID pandemic, and the creation of its first online masters degree. She also substantially increased student financial aid through a successful fundraising initiative, and she expanded HGSEs external engagement with practitioners, leaders, and communities around the world. She served as Academic Dean from 2013 to 2017 and Faculty Director of the Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs from 2010 to 2013.

Long is the Chair of the Board of Directors for, a founding Board Member of, and a member of the Board for the. She is co-Chair of the , sponsored by the American Academy. During the Obama administration, she served as Chair of, the advisory panel of theat the U.S. Department of Education. She has testified numerous times before U.S. Senate Committees and state governmental bodies,and she wasa Visiting Fellow at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Long has won numerous competitive research grants, including from including from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Science Foundation (NSF). She was awarded thePeter H. Rossi Award for Contributions to the Theory or Practice of Program Evaluation from, the Spencer Foundation Mentor Award, andthe Robert P. Huff Golden Quill Award for excellence in research and published works on student financial assistance. Long earned her Ph.D. and M.A. from the Harvard University Department of Economics and her A.B. from Princeton University in Economics with a Certificate in Afro-American Studies.

Barbara Humpton

July 19, 2025, at Seattle Commencement
Lives in: Reston, VA

Barbara Humpton is President and CEO of Siemens Corporation, where she guides the companys strategy and engagement in serving the companys largest market. Siemens USA employs approximately 45,000 employees in 50 states and Puerto Rico and generated $21.1 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2024. She views the true purpose of technology as expanding whats humanly possible. Shes also passionate about diversity, STEM education, and what she calls a work life blend that honors her priorities, both at Siemens and as a grandmother.

Most recently, Humpton served as president and CEO of Siemens Government Technologies, Inc. (SGT), a leading integrator of Siemens products and services for federal government agencies and departments. In this role, Humpton also served as an officer/director member of SGTs board of directors.

Prior to joining Siemens in 2011, Humpton served as a vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton, where she was responsible for program performance and new business development for technology consulting in the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. Earlier, Humpton was a vice president at Lockheed Martin Corporation with responsibility for Biometrics Programs, Border and Transportation Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection, including such critical programs as the FBIs Next Generation Identification and the TSAs Transportation Workers Identification Credential.

Humpton is a graduate of Wake Forest University with a bachelors degree in mathematics. She is Chairman of the Siemens Corporation Board, the Siemens Foundation and of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA). She serves on the board of directors of the Triumph Group, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), Consumer Technology Association Board of Industry Leaders, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and Economic Club of Washington, D.C. She resides in Reston, Virginia, with her husband David.

David Simmons

April 26, 2025, at Las Vegas Commencement
Lives in: Salt Lake City, UT

With a distinguished 40-year career spanning media, communications, and travel management, David Simmons has built and led transformative organizations that have reshaped their industries.

Previously, as CEO of Simmons Media Group, he expanded the companys influence in radio broadcasting and outdoor advertising. As chairman and CEO of Keystone Communications, he led its evolution into a global satellite communications firm. Currently, he oversees his private investment firm, leveraging his expertise to drive strategic growth and innovation, and is also the co-chairman of M-Plus Global Events, a premier travel management company.

Mr. Simmons' impact extends beyond business into economic development and education. He served for 18 years on the Western Governors University Board of Trustees (20062024), where he played a key role in advancing the institutions mission of accessible, high-quality education. He served for nearly two decades on the board of trustees of Westminster University and was chairman of the Utah State Board of Business and Economic Development, the Utah Sports Commission, Discovery Gateway Childrens Museum, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Olene Walker Institute of Public Policy at Weber State University.

Mr. Simmons earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Utah and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Melinda, and their five children, and has a love for American history and international perspectives.

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP

March 8, 2025, at Dallas Commencement
Lives in: Alexandria, VA

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., is a lawyer, author, board member, public speaker, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally.

As a global leader on the future of employment, culture, and leadership, Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers, and the workplace. Recognized as one of the 300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America for 2024 by Savoy Magazine and one of the Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy in our nations capital by Washingtonian Magazine, Mr. Taylor is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors the weekly USA Today column, Ask HR.

Mr. Taylors career spans more than 20 years as a lawyer, human resources executive, and CEO in both the not-for-profit and for-profit spaces.

Previous Honorary Degree Recipients

2024
Ted Mitchell | Education Advocate| 03/16/24
Dr. Charles Sorenson | Former 91勛圖厙 Trustee | 08/17/24

2023
Tammy Johns | Former 91勛圖厙 Trustee | 04/21/23

2022
Terry Crane | Former 91勛圖厙 Trustee | 08/06/22
Patrick Partridge | Chief Marketing Officer, Trailblazer | 08/06/22

2017
Robert Mendenhall | 91勛圖厙 President (1999-2016) | 07/17/17

2016泭
Dell Loy Hansen | Wasatch Group | 07/16/16

2012
Douglas Chip Johnstone | Provost, Trailblazer | 07/12/12
Max Farbman | Fund-raising | 07/14/12
Janet Schnitz | Acting provost, Trailblazer | 07/14/12
Bill Simmons | Dutko; funding; lobbyist | 07/14/12

2011
Jamie Merisotis | Lumina Foundation | 07/23/11
Scott Anderson | Zions Bank, advisory board | 02/12/11

2009
Sam Smith | WSU, founder, board member | 07/11/09
Scott McNealy | Sun Microsystems | 01/24/09

2008
Clara M. Lovett | President, NAU | 02/16/08
Thomas C. Pelto | AT&T | 02/16/08

2007泭
Michael B. Enzi | Senator, Wyoming | 07/14/07
Bess Stevens | HP Foundation | 02/10/07

2006
Roy Romer | Gov, CO; 91勛圖厙 founder | 01/28/06

2005
Rod Paige | Sec, ED | 08/06/05

2003
Michael Leavitt | Gov, Utah; Sec. HHS; 91勛圖厙 founder | 09/27/03

2002
Eric Benhamou | 3Com; Palm | 12/06/02
Jim Geringer | Gov, WY; founder | 12/06/02
Eric E. Schmidt | CEO, Google | 12/06/02
James R. Swartz | Accel Partners; Funding | 10/19/02
Robert F. Bennett | US Senator, Utah | 10/19/02