2024 Commencement Speakers Announced

Two distinguished alumni working on the global stage will take center stage at Magness Arena for the University of Denver commencement ceremonies in June.

The University of Denver is welcoming back to campus alumni Maureen Hinman (MA '03) and Marc Nathanson (BA '67) as the keynote speakers at the graduate and undergraduate commencement ceremonies taking place June 14 and 15 in Magness Arena.

Both speakers are graduates of the Korbel School of International Relations who have had highly successful careers-including key government positions in trade and diplomacy-and both are personally dedicated to empowering students to become tomorrow's leaders and changemakers.

Meet Marc Nathanson, undergraduate ceremony speaker

Nathanson is the current U.S. ambassador to Norway, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022. The founder of Falcon Cable, Nathanson began working in the federal government in the late 1990s, when he served as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. He has also been vice chairman of the National Democratic Institute, served on the board of the Aspen Institute, and was appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the board of the East-West Center in Hawaii.

His interest in Norway goes back to his time at DU, when, in the summer of 1966, he joined professor Robert Eckelberry on a trip to Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands as part of a course on Scandinavian government.

"It's all because of the University of Denver," Nathanson told the DU Newsroomwhen he was nominated ambassador in 2021, noting that his alma mater sparked his interest in both Norway and international relations more broadly.

He and his wife Jane Nathanson (BFA '67) established the Nathanson Fellows Program, a partnership between Korbel and the Aspen Institute, which has provided DU students opportunities to work and learn at the world-renowned policy organization.

Meet Maureen Hinman, graduate ceremony speaker

Graduate commencement speaker Maureen Hinman is a leading policy expert on environmental industry and co-founder of Silverado Policy Accelerator, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization focused on solving geopolitical challenges.

Hinman previously served as director for environment and natural resources at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, where she led a range of multilateral, regional and bilateral trade policy initiatives. She also worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce as senior industry trade specialist, specializing in international policy development for the U.S. environmental technology industry.

Named a "Tech Titan" by Washingtonian magazine, Hinman credits her Korbel professors for teaching her how to negotiate effectively and the importance of being prepared. "The art of negotiation, combined with the rigor of knowing what you're talking about, has been a real recipe for success," she told DU Magazine last fall.

At Silverado, Hinman started the Catherine Hinman Memorial Fellowship, in honor of her late sister-who was also a DU student-which brings graduate students to D.C. to work on policy issues during the summer. The program, which is based on financial need, helps students get their start in Washington-and they always hold a spot for a DU student.

Two graduate commencement ceremonies will be held on June 14. The Crimson ceremony, at 9:30 a.m. in Magness Arena, includes the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences; the Daniels College of Business; the DU/Iliff School of Theology Joint Doctoral Program; the Graduate School of Professional Psychology; the Korbel School of International Studies; and the Morgridge College of Education. The Gold ceremony, at 2:30 p.m., includes the College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics; the Graduate School of Social Work; the Ritchie School of Engineering & Computer Science; and University College.

The undergraduate commencement ceremony will be held on June 15 at 9:30 a.m. in Magness Arena.

Get more details about commencement here.