Georgia Tech’s Spring Commencement Speakers
Georgia Tech’s Spring Commencement ceremonies will celebrate 3,115 bachelor’s graduates, 3,320 master’s graduates, and 225 Ph.D. graduates. As students prepare to turn their tassels throughout the weekend, they’ll hear inspiring words to send them off into their next chapter. Meet the people who will share wisdom with this semester’s graduates.
Mark Becker, president of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities
Ph.D. Ceremony , Thursday, May 1, 5 p.m.
Mark Becker is president of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU). This membership organization fosters a community of university leaders collectively working to advance the mission of public research universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Becker has been president since September 2022.
Before leading APLU, Becker spent more than three decades at universities, including as president of Georgia State University from 2009 to 2021. He led the transformation of Georgia State from a formerly little-known “commuter school” into one of the nation’s premier urban research universities. During his tenure, Georgia State was one of the fastest-growing research universities in the nation, as sponsored awards more than doubled, and the university became a national leader in programs and initiatives to foster student success.
Becker is a fellow of the American Statistical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He attended Harford Community College in Maryland and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Towson State University and a Ph.D. in statistics from Pennsylvania State University.
Christopher Klaus, Kaneva
Bachelor’s Morning Ceremony
Friday, May 3, 9 a.m.
Thirty years after he left Georgia Tech to lead Internet Security Systems, a startup that would eventually be taken public and acquired by IBM for $1.2 billion, Chris Klaus will return to the Institute to receive an honorary Ph.D. In 2000, his $15 million gift helped construct a home for the School of Computer Science and portions of the College of Engineering. The 414,000-square-foot Klaus Advanced Computing Building also now features six research centers and more than 20 labs.
He continues to support the Institute through CREATE-X, a program that connects students with industry leaders and offers them guidance, support, and capital to launch startups. Klaus' latest entrepreneurial venture, Fusen World, is dedicated to student innovation. In 2018, he was inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia.
Klaus serves on the state's Film, Video, and Music Advisory Commission and the boards of the Savannah College of Art and Design, the Georgia Game Developers Association, the Georgia Tech Foundation, and the College of Computing.
Carol Tomé, CEO of UPS
Bachelor’s Afternoon Ceremony
Friday, May 3, 3 p.m.
Carol B. Tomé is the chief executive officer of UPS. She is the 12th CEO in the 118-year history of the company. Under Tomé’s leadership, annual revenue surpassed $100 billion for the first time since its founding.
Before joining UPS, Tomé served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Home Depot Inc., one of the world’s largest retailers. She joined the company in 1995 as vice president and treasurer. During her tenure, the company grew from 400 stores to 2,200 and increased its share price by more than 450%.
She serves on the board of directors for Verizon Communications Inc., the Atlanta Committee for Progress, and Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation and on the board of trustees for the Atlanta Botanical Garden. She is also a member of the Buckhead Coalition and the Business Council. A native of Jackson, Wyoming, Tomé holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Wyoming and a master’s degree in finance from the University of Denver.
UPS and Georgia Tech’s relationship spans academic, professional, and philanthropic endeavors. UPS has given more than $8 million to Georgia Tech through research, gifts, and other projects, and has a named professorship in Georgia Tech’s H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Andrea Laliberte, retired executive at Coach and former professor of the practice
Master’s Ceremony
Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m.
Andrea Laliberte, IE 1982, M.S. IE 1984, is a former logistics executive with demonstrated success in logistics planning and execution to meet customer needs in a complex international retail environment. She was the Edenfield Executive in Residence and Professor of the Practice in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Previously, she was senior vice president of distribution and consumer service for Coach Inc., a leading marketer of modern classic American accessories.
Laliberte is a member of the Georgia Tech Foundation’s board of trustees and the Georgia Tech College of Engineering external advisory board and is chair of the Ascension St. Vincent’s Foundation in Jacksonville, Florida. She is a past chair of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and received the 2008 Georgia Tech College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award and the 2020 Joseph Mayo Pettit Distinguished Service Award. Laliberte was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Hall of Fame in 2024.
Most recently, her leadership brought to fruition the Pathway of Progress installation on campus, which honors decades of achievements by Georgia Tech women.