Accomplished Leaders to Deliver Keynotes at SUNY Oswego May 2023 Commencement

SUNY Oswego’s three May 2023 Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 13, will feature keynote speakers with a variety of leadership perspectives and experiences.

• Dr. Juhanna Rogers, Senior Vice President of Racial Equity and Social Impact for CenterState CEO, will speak at the 9 a.m. ceremony for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

• The Honorable Billy Barlow, Mayor of the City of Oswego, will speak at the 12:30 p.m. ceremony for the School of Business.

• Dr. Robert Simmons III, Head of Social Impact and STEM Programs for Micron Technology and the Micron Foundation will speak at the 4 p.m. ceremony for the School of Communication, Media and the Arts and the School of Education.
  

Leading equity:
Dr. Juhanna Rogers, CenterState CEO

As a member of CenterState CEO’s Corporate Leadership Team, Rogers develops and deploys diversity, equity and inclusion strategies that achieve more equitable outcomes both internally and across the organization’s portfolios of work, including helping members and institutions establish strategic action-oriented plans that drive inclusive change in their respective workplaces.

Previously, she served as vice president of racial equity and social impact, and also director of community engagement and empowerment, developing engagement strategies to drive change in Syracuse. Before working at CenterState CEO, Rogers was the director for health services at Syracuse Community Connections. She also has a background in higher education.

Rogers earned her undergraduate degree in integrative arts from Penn State University-Altoona, and a master of science from Indiana University in higher education and student affairs. While completing her doctoral program in 2016, she and seven of her colleagues were deemed “The Great 8” and were recognized as the largest number of Black women to complete doctorate degree requirements simultaneously. The Great 8 were selected as Ebony Magazine Power 100 Honorees for being changemakers in education.

Rogers is a motivational speaker, commentator, artist and activist committed to social justice, education and the arts. As a critical race scholar, she builds platforms for critical conversations on race, justice and equity. Rogers has worked nationally and internationally to help address equity in higher education, exploring ways through which underrepresented populations can improve their lives and communities.

She is also the creator of “Behind the Woman,” a WCNY television production that shares personal stories from diverse women leaders to empower other women to pursue their goals and dreams.

CenterState CEO is Central New York’s premier business leadership and economic development organization, committed to creating a region where business thrives, and all people prosper.

Read more on Mayor Billy Barlow and Dr. Robert Simmons III, here.