Over 18,000 degrees will be given to the Class of 2026 at USC’s 143rd commencement ceremony, according to the university, and ceremonies will take place from May 13 to 16.
Each ceremony features a different commencement speaker, which are listed below.
USC Main Commencement Speaker – Gustavo Dudamel
Gustavo Dudamel will deliver the main address at USC’s 143rd commencement ceremony. Dudamel has been the music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since the 2009-2010 season and will assume the same position at the New York Philharmonic in September.
USC Rossier School of Education – Robert Cohen and Melanie Lundquist
Robert Cohen will be the speaker at the Rossier doctoral ceremony. He is a New York University professor of history and social studies and an award-winning author. In 2025, his most recent book, “Confronting Jim Crow: Race, Memory, and the University of Georgia in the Twentieth Century,” won the Lillian Smith Book Award.
Melanie Lundquist is set to be the master’s ceremony speaker. She is a philanthropist and USC alumna in communicative disorders/speech pathology and audiology. Lundquist, along with her husband, has pledged over $450 million to public education, health care, biomedical research, climate change and democracy.
USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism – Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn is a three-time Olympic gold medalist in skiing and best-selling author of two New York Times Best Sellers: the 2016 novel “Strong Is the New Beautiful” and the 2022 “Rise: My Story.” She started the Lindsey Vonn Foundation, which empowers girls from underserved communities through scholarships, educational camps and speaker events.
USC Bovard College – Carlos Adame
For the past four years, Carlos Adame has worked as a global HR leader at Amazon and the chief human resources officer at both Providence Health Organization and AltaMed Health Services. Adame is currently a professor in the Master of Science in Human Resource Management program.
USC Gould School of Law – Helen Prejean and Nicolai Schwarz-Gondek
Sister Helen Prejean, the undergraduate speaker, is a Catholic Sister who has dedicated her life to social justice, especially advocating for the abolishment of the death penalty. In addition, Prejean is the best-selling author of “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States,” which inspired the Academy Award-winning movie “River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey.”
Nicolai Schwarz-Gondek, the speaker for graduate and international programs, is a 2005 graduate of the USC Gould School of Law. Now, he is a partner at the global law firm Sidley Austin, serving as co-chair of Sidley’s Greater Los Angeles Pro Bono Committee. His practice is geared towards mergers and acquisitions, private equity and other corporate transactions.
USC Kaufman School of Dance – Hope Boykin
Hope Boykin is a two-time recipient of the New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) and a three-time recipient of the American Dance Festival’s Young Tuition Scholarship. Boykin joined the faculty of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance for the 2019-2020 academic year as an Artist in Residence.
USC School of Architecture – Mark Lee
Mark Lee is a founding partner of Johnston Marklee, an architecture firm based in Los Angeles, and a USC School of Architecture alumnus. Lee also served as the chair of the architecture department at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he had previously received his Master of Architecture Degree.
USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
USC alumna Kristen Kavanaugh’s career began in the military after her time in the U.S. Naval Academy. She went on to become the co-founder and CEO of “The Agency Initiative,” a consulting firm focused on leadership and organizational effectiveness. Kavanaugh co-authored “Courage Over Fear: Harness the Power of Agency to Lead in Uncertain Times,” and now hosts The Drive Home podcast.
USC Thornton School of Music – Nina Shekhar and Sylvia Rhone
Nina Shekhar is an alumnus of Thornton and a composer, producer and multimedia artist. Her work has been commissioned and performed by symphonies across the country, including the New York Philharmonic. Most recently, she made her Hollywood Bowl debut with the LA Philharmonic. Shekhar currently serves as Composer-in-Residence of The Crossing and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s 2023-2024 Sound Investment Composer. She will receive the Outstanding Alumni Award at the ceremony.
Another Thornton speaker is Sylvia Rhone, the chairwoman and CEO of Epic Records. Known as the“Godmother of the music industry,” she is the First Black woman to lead a major record label owned by a Fortune 500 company. Set to receive the inaugural Distinguished Visionary Leadership Award at the ceremony, Rhone is the only executive to have held senior leadership roles across all three major record companies.
USC Viterbi School of Engineering – Karen Dahut, William F. Ballhaus, Jr. and Asghar Mostafa
The undergraduate speaker, Karen Dahut, is the CEO of Google Public Sector and a USC Viterbi alumna. She began her career as an officer in the U.S. Navy and now has over 25 years of experience in technology, cybersecurity and analytics.
The speakers for the master’s program are William F. Ballhaus, Jr., and Asghar Mostafa. Ballhaus is the president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation, as well as of two Martin Marietta businesses: Aero and Naval Systems, and Civil Space and Communications. Mostafa is president, chief executive officer and founder of Rubriq Corporation. He is an entrepreneur who previously founded Entourage Systems, Inc.
USC Marshall School of Business – Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll was the former head coach of the USC Football team for nine seasons from 2001 to 2009. He led the team to seven consecutive Pac-120 championships, including four out of five Rose Bowl wins, and two national championships. Carroll was then head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, leading the team to two Super Bowl appearances and the franchise’s only Super Bowl championship. Additionally, he co-taught the USC Marshall “The Game is Life” course in 2025.
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences – Dexter Holland
Dexter Holland is the co-founder and lead singer of the rock band The Offspring and a three-time USC Dornsife alumnus, gaining his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, and master’s and doctoral degrees in molecular biology in 1988, 1990, and 2017, respectively. The Offspring has released over 40 million copies of their 11 studio albums since their creation in 1984.
USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy – Zack Bia
Zack Bia, CEO of Field Trip Recordings and USC alum, is delivering the IYA keynote address. Bia began his career as a club promoter and DJ before founding Field Trip Recordings. Bia has signed high-profile names such as rapper Yeat, streamer and artist PlaqueBoyMax and producer BNYX. He has collaborated with brands like Asics, Nike and Beats by Dre, and he even released his own album, Learn to Fly.
USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences – David Meek
David Meek is a leader in the biopharmaceutical industry with over 30 years of experience. He is currently the CEO of Genetix Biotherapeutics, formerly bluebird bio, which has become a pioneer in gene therapy. Meek continues to help redefine the future of curative medicine with his constant innovation and commercial success.
USC Roski School of Art & Design – Rick Lowe
Rick Lowe is an artist who founded Project Row Houses in his hometown in 1993 and the Watts House Project in Los Angeles in 1996. Additionally, Lowe has received many honors, including an appointment by President Barack Obama to the National Council on the Arts in 2013, and currently teaches interdisciplinary practice at the University of Houston.
USC School of Cinematic Arts – Jason Reitman
Jason Reitman is a USC alumnus and Oscar-nominated film director for “Juno” and “Up in the Air.” In 2010, his film “Up in the Air” won a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture. He has also received a Grammy Award and four Academy Award nominations.
USC School of Dramatic Arts – Danny Strong
Danny Strong is an actor, award-winning screenwriter and USC School of Dramatic Arts alumnus. Strong has appeared in several TV shows and films, including “Billions,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gilmore Girls.” Additionally, as a screenwriter, Strong is the creator and showrunner of Hulu’s “Dopesick,” based on the bestselling book by Beth Macy. He also wrote the screenplays for the films “Recount,” “Game Change,” and co-wrote “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay” Parts 1 & 2.
USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy – Arameh Anvarizadeh
Arameh Anvarizadeh is the president of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and began her three-year term in July 2025. She is currently a USC Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy and an accomplished speaker who has lectured at numerous state and national conferences.
USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology – Ranyan Lu
Ranyan Lu achieved an outstanding career in aging and health care services before retiring in 2025. Lu received her PhD in Gerontology in 1998, with a focus on biodemography and population health. Before her retirement, Lu served as Vice President of Clinical Performance Measurement and Predictive Analytics at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.
USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy – Robin Scholefield
Robin Scholefield is a former Olympian and USC alumna. Scholefield was a member of USC’s swim team and won a bronze medal at 13 for her breaststroke leg of the women’s 4x100-meter medley relay at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec. Currently, she is a clinical professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences at USC’s Keck School of Medicine, associate director of clinical & sport psychology services, and co-executive director of the USC Athletics Performance Science Institute.
USC Leventhal School of Accounting – Michael Norona
Michael Norona is a retired Fortune 500 company chief financial officer with 37 years of leadership experience. Additionally, Norona was the former executive vice president and chief financial officer for Advance Auto Parts and spent 20 years with Best Buy prior. Currently, he serves on the Leventhal Board of Councilors.
USC Sol Price School of Public Policy – Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd is an Australian diplomat and former prime minister of Australia, serving from 2007 to 2010. Additionally, Rudd is also regarded as a leading analyst of China. He was the inaugural President of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York.
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC – Carol Gomez Summerhays
Dr. Carol Gomez Summerhays has been running her own dental practice for 34 years and is a USC School of Dentistry alumna. She has received an Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her exceptional service to the United States by serving as president of the American Dental Association, chair of the Board of Councilors of the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC and as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Dental Corps.
Keck School of Medicine of USC – Paula Cannon and Elena Fuentes-Afflick
Paula Cannon is the speaker for the USC Keck School of Medicine’s doctoral, master’s and undergraduate commencement. She is a distinguished professor at the Keck School. She currently leads a research group that focuses on how gene and cell therapies can be used to target HIV, cancer, and other chronic illnesses.
Elena Fuentes-Afflick is the speaker for Keck’s MD and clinical commencement. She is the chief scientific officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). She leads all programs that support medical research and the training of physician-scientists and researchers in academic medicine.