Meet the Fall Commencement Speakers
Georgia Tech’s Fall Commencement ceremonies will celebrate 1,994 bachelor’s graduates, 4,843 master’s graduates, and 340 Ph.D. graduates. Meet the three speakers who will share their experiences as leaders and pioneers of their industries with the graduates before they turn their tassels.
Johney Green Jr. – Director, Savannah River National Laboratory
Ph.D. Ceremony | Thursday, Dec. 11, 5 – 6:30 p.m.
Johney Green Jr. leads the Savannah River National Laboratory, a multi-program national laboratory that serves as the primary research and development institution for the Offices of Environmental Management and Legacy Management at the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Weapons and Nonproliferation programs for the National Nuclear Security Administration.
A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an SAE International Fellow, Green previously spearheaded the DOE’s Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems and held leadership positions at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He holds two U.S. patents in combustion science and is credited with nearly 5,000 research paper citations.
A Double Jacket, Green earned a master’s and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech after receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis. He currently serves on the Strategic Energy Institute’s external advisory board and was a member of the board of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering from 2017 to 2022.
Regent T. Dallas Smith – Chair, University System of Georgia's Board of Regents
Bachelor's Ceremony | Friday, Dec. 12, 2 – 4:30 p.m.
T. Dallas Smith is the founder and CEO of T. Dallas Smith & Company. Since its founding in 2006, the commercial real estate firm has represented Fortune 500 companies and local businesses in transactions totaling over $16 billion in aggregate value. A trailblazer in the industry, Smith became the first African American broker at Cushman & Wakefield of Georgia in 1989. In 1995, he pioneered the brokerage division at H.J. Russell & Company, the largest Black-owned construction and management firm in the country at that time.
Smith currently serves as the chair of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, where he plays a key role in shaping educational policies for the state’s 26 public higher education institutions. He serves on various boards, including the Atlanta Commercial Board of REALTORS, where he became the first Black president in 2023.
He is a Georgia State University graduate and was named a distinguished alumnus by his alma mater in 2023.
José Muñoz – President and CEO, Hyundai Motor Company
Master’s Ceremony | Saturday, Dec. 13, 9 – 10 a.m.
José Muñoz is the president and CEO of the Hyundai Motor Company. He was elevated to the role after overseeing record growth as president and global chief operating officer since joining Hyundai in 2019. A strong advocate for investing in new technologies and partnerships to make transportation safer and more sustainable, Muñoz has been chosen as MotorTrend’s 2025 Person of the Year. In recent years, Hyundai has invested $21 billion in U.S. operations, including $12 billion into electric vehicles and battery production in Georgia.
For his role in fostering the relationship between Georgia Tech and Hyundai, as the Institute and the automaker entered a multi-decade partnership in 2023, Muñoz will be awarded an honorary degree at the ceremony. The vision for the partnership includes research and applications to support the future of sustainable mobility, hydrogen economy, workforce development, and smart cities, among many other areas of cooperation, including support for Georgia Tech Athletics.
Muñoz worked in nuclear engineering and aerospace before serving in a variety of roles at Daewoo, Toyota, and Nissan. A native of Spain, he earned his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Polytechnic University of Madrid and has an MBA from Instituto de Empresa Business School in Madrid. He has also completed executive management programs from Cranfield School of Management in the U.K. and INSEAD Business School in France.