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Wadsworth Atheneum CEO to speak at Eastern's graduate commencement ceremony

Eastern alumni to speak at both undergraduate, graduate commencement ceremonies

Willimantic, CT (04/25/2023) — Jeffrey Brown '79, CEO of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, will be the keynote speaker for Eastern Connecticut State University's Graduate Division graduation and hooding ceremony. The event will take place on May 13 in the Concert Hall of the Fine Arts Instructional Center on Eastern's Willimantic campus. Brown is a 1979 Eastern graduate.

More than 100 Master of Science candidates in accounting, education and organizational management will be receiving their Eastern degrees at this year's graduate commencement exercises. In addition to Brown, Susan Cote '06 and a 2023 graduate in special education, will also give remarks.

"I am honored to be returning to my alma mater to address this year's master's degree graduates," said Brown. "This is such an important milestone in each of their lives and I am thrilled to be able to be a part of it."

Brown was selected by the Board of Trustees of the Wadsworth Museum of Art in October 2021 to serve as CEO, having served as interim CEO and director since April 2021. He previously served as a trustee beginning in 2012. Prior to his appointment at the Wadsworth, Brown held leadership positions at Newman's Own, Inc. and the Webster Financial Corp.

At Newman's Own, he held positions as executive vice president and chief administrative officer of both Newman's Own Foundation and Newman's Own, Inc., before becoming president. He was previously executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Webster Financial Corporation and Webster Bank N.A. in Waterbury, CT.

Undergraduate commencement

Meanwhile, Thomas Gibson '96, chancellor of University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, will be the keynote speaker for Eastern's 132nd Commencement Exercises, May 16 at the XL Center in Hartford. Gibson is a 1996 Eastern graduate and will receive an honorary degree at the ceremony.

For more information, visit https://easternct.meritpages.com/news/eastern-announces-university-chancellor-thomas-gibson--96-as-commencement-speaker-/34807

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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,100 students annually on its Willimantic campus. In addition to attracting students from 160 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 32 states and eight countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 20 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022-23 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 13 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.

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Wadsworth Atheneum CEO Jeffrey Brown

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