Newswise — United Way of America President and CEO Brian Gallagher will be the December, 2006 Commencement speaker at the University of Maryland.The President and CEO of United Way, Brian Gallagher, will be the featured speaker December 20 during commencement exercises at the University of Maryland.
"Brian Gallagher is an excellent choice, " says Maryland President C.D. Mote, Jr. "He is an inspirational leader who really cares for those Americans who are in need. I look forward to hearing his message to our graduates, which I am sure will have real impact on all of us."
Gallagher oversees some 1300 local United Ways, which help local communities provide housing, youth services and health care to those most in need. For example, United Way assisted tens of thousands in the Gulf Coast area and around the country following hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The charity will celebrate its 120th anniversary next year.
Matthew Hirsch chairs the senior council committee that is responsible for selecting commencement speakers at Maryland. "The United Way is a wonderful organization, and I am honored that Brian Gallagher has agreed to speak at December Commencement," says Hirsch. "I feel he has a powerful message to share with the University of Maryland graduating class as we all take our first steps into the rest of our lives. It is vital that we are always looking to give back to the community around us as we move through life. Mr. Gallagher represents this idea to the fullest with his dedication to the United Way and its many charitable endeavors."
26 YEARS OF SERVICE
United Way logo used with permission.Brian Gallagher became President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Way of America in 2002, but his career with the non-profit agency goes back to 1981 when he started as a management trainee. He worked his way up the ladder by staying close to the ground - serving in various positions for the United Way from North Carolina, to Rhode Island and several other states. He was serving as president of the United Way of Central Ohio when he was tapped as president for the United Way of America.
Gallagher is a graduate of Ball State University in Indiana and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Emory University in Atlanta. He is married and has two daughters.
The United Way President and CEO says being commencement speaker is an honor, "particularly since the speakers are chosen by a student committee. That clearly shows that the student body at Maryland is committed to giving back and making a difference as they leave one phase of their lives and move into another. I hope to impart to them that you can follow your dreams while also making the world a better place."
COMMENCEMENT INFORMATION
The campus-wide commencement ceremony will take place in the Comcast Center at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 20. Individual department and school ceremonies will be held the following day. Shuttle bus service will provide free transportation around campus throughout the day.
Guests are urged to be seated approximately one half-hour prior to the designated time for the ceremonies if they wish to observe the student and faculty processional.
About the University of MarylandFrom its pre-Civil War roots as Maryland's first agricultural college and one of America's original land grant institutions, the University of Maryland today is the flagship campus of the University System of Maryland and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. Ranked No. 18 by U.S. News & World Report, it also has 31 academic programs in the Top 10 and 92 in the Top 25. The current faculty includes three Nobel Laureates, six Pulitzer Prize winners, 40 members of the National Academies of Science, and scores of Fulbright scholars. Maryland is committed to excellence as the state's premier center of research and graduate education and the institution of choice for undergraduate students of exceptional ability and promise. For more information about the University of Maryland, visit http://www.umd.edu.
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