2017 WGU Commencement.qxp_WGU Commencement 1/23/17 10:24 AM Page 1 Commencement d S ATURDAY , F EBRUARY 11, 2017 L AKE B UENA V ISTA , F LORIDA 2017 WGU Commencement.qxp_WGU Commencement 1/23/17 10:24 AM Page 2 Member Governors Alaska Nevada e Honorable e Honorable Bill Walker Brian Sandoval Arizona New Mexico e Honorable e Honorable Doug Ducey Susana Martinez California North Dakota e Honorable e Honorable Jerry Brown Doug Burgum Colorado Oklahoma e Honorable e Honorable John Hickenlooper Mary Fallin Guam Oregon e Honorable e Honorable Eddie Baza Calvo Kate Brown Hawaii South Dakota e Honorable e Honorable David Ige Dennis Daugaard Idaho Texas e Honorable e Honorable C. L. “Butch” Otter Greg Abbott Indiana Utah e Honorable e Honorable Eric Holcomb Gary R. Herbert Montana Washington e Honorable e Honorable Steve Bullock Jay R. Inslee Nebraska Wyoming e Honorable e Honorable Pete Ricketts Matt Mead -2- 2017 WGU Commencement.qxp_WGU Commencement 1/23/17 10:24 AM Page 3 Board of Trustees C HAIRMAN e Honorable Jim Geringer Director, Policy & Public Sector, ESRI; Governor, State of Wyoming (1995 – 2003) John W. Bluford III Tammy Johns President, Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute; CEO, Strategy & Talent; Former President, Truman Medical Centers Former Executive, Manpower Group Cole Clark Dr. Robert W. Mendenhall Executive Director, Higher Education Client Relations President Emeritus, Deloitte Services, LP; Western Governors University Former Global VP for Education and Research, Oracle Corporation Lenny Mendonca Director Emeritus, McKinsey & Company Dr. erese (Terry) Crane President, Crane Associates; Scott D. Pulsipher Former Executive with Apple and AOL President, Western Governors University Dr. Emily S. DeRocco David Simmons Principal, E3 Engage Educate Employ; President, Simmons Media Group Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. Samuel H. Smith Robert Evanson President Emeritus, Washington State University Former President, McGraw-Hill Education Dr. Charles Sorenson e Honorable Gary Herbert President and CEO, Intermountain Healthcare Governor, State of Utah e Honorable John Hickenlooper Governor, State of Colorado -3- 2017 WGU Commencement.qxp_WGU Commencement 1/23/17 10:24 AM Page 4 Commencement Speaker WILL WEATHERFORD Managing Partner, Weatherford Partners Former Speaker, Florida House of Representatives Will is the Managing Partner of Weatherford Partners, along with his brothers Sam and Drew. ey combine their investment, consulting, and political experience to help their partners reach their corporate objectives through the provision of capital and advisory services. Will was the 84th Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, serving from 2012 to 2014, during which time he was the youngest Speaker in America. roughout his four consecutive terms in office, Will was a strong advocate for social upward mobility through free enterprise and education reform. He was also a thought leader on pro-growth solutions including lower taxes, pension reform, and free-market healthcare. Will serves on several boards including Sunshine Bank, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the National Coalition for Capital, the U.S. Global Leadership Collation, the Republican State Leadership Committee, and Jobs for America’s Graduates. Will also served as a Rodel Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Will spent six years as a board director at Florida Traditions Bank before it was sold to Home BancShares in July 2014. In 2008, Will was Founder of Red Eagle Group, a boutique investment and business consulting firm. A graduate of Jacksonville University, Will is married to Courtney; they reside in Wesley Chapel with their four children: Ella Kate, Molly, Madelyn, and William. -4- 2017 WGU Commencement.qxp_WGU Commencement 1/23/17 10:24 AM Page 5 Commencement Program PROCESSIONAL N ATIONAL A NTHEM Debra L. Gray, Southern Pines, NC M.S. Educational Leadership W ELCOME AND OPENING R EMARKS Scott D. Pulsipher President, Western Governors University COMMENCEMENT A DDRESS Will Weatherford Managing Partner, Weatherford Partners Former Speaker, Florida House of Representatives G RADUATE S PEAKERS William Porro, Hialeah, FL MBA Brittany Pierce, Palmer, AK M.A. Science Education (5-9) Joanne Sylvestre, Brooklyn, NY MBA –Healthcare Management Eric Gardner, Richlands, NC B.S. Information Technology CONFERRAL OF DEGREES Dr. David E. Leasure Provost, Western Governors University C LOSING R EMARKS Dr. David E. Leasure Provost, Western Governors University R ECESSIONAL -5- 2017 WGU Commencement.qxp_WGU Commencement 1/23/17 10:24 AM Page 6 GRADUATE DEGREES T EACHERS COLLEGE Master of Arts EDUCATIONAL STUDIES CALIfORNIA HAWAII MARyLAND OREGON vIRGINIA Stephanie Lemanski Michael H. Omohundro Adam Scott Funkhouser Joshua Harvey Glenela S. Rajpaul Andrew Pappas ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING ARIzONA IDAHO NEW yORk SOUTH CAROLINA Rita G. Courtney Michael James Wold Tiffany Hernandez Tanesha R. Lewis Shilo M. Marquez Abigail Kathleen Wade Samantha A. Tate Hope M. Martin ILLINOIS Tamaura Evonne Burns OHIO UTAH CALIfORNIA Bryan L. King Amber N. Harding Kelly N. Avalos Courtney S. Glau Rebecca A. Studney Mary Oney Yadira Burgoyne Stephanie Lauren Owens Jacqueline R. Vrchota Amy L. Seidle Rebecca Burningham-Berrios Ericka Zemmer Carrie Stewart Jennifer Campbell kENTUCky Jessica L. DeBoer COLORADO Keith Jason Highley OkLAHOMA Megan Inama Kerry Burek Janee McCrate Amory R. Mableson Hannah Corrine Nichols MARyLAND Brenda J. McMurtrey Micah J. Wheeler Melissa Marie Cain OREGON Holly A. Rognan William John Woods Emily Pleitez Angel DeBerry Lynette Yorgason Katherine G. Steigleman fLORIDA MASSACHUSETTS vIRGINIA Vera Katherine Moroz Boettcher Mary Elizabeth Botelho PENNSyLvANIA Sheryl S. Brittingham Charlotte Colby Beth L. Furtado Carlos F. Cruz Chau Do Annia Cuesta Aryanna R. Davis Kathryn T. Turner Ethel A. Kennedy MICHIGAN Jessica A. Martz Catherine I. Whitacre Lori Kelley Tiffany Strange GEORGIA Heather Sue Pann Nicole C. Good Zawidski WISCONSIN Allison Rae Meyer Jennifer Marie Fink Hanifah F. Sabree NEW JERSEy RHODE ISLAND Patricia LaBarre Kia Ginele Wimberly Margarita M. Batlle-Zahl Kristen M. Monaco Dustin Drew Lee Annette M. Frohlich Haley Tolman HAWAII Karlene M. Paone Marc Christian K. Muramoto Yvonne Quintero MATHEMATICS EDUCATION ALABAMA Sonia Diaz Cole Yong S. Lee Hollie Kemp Gallegos GEORGIA Jeannie D. Carroway Zachary Michael Boromporn Ashley Marie Milam Amy L. Bettner April Morgan Coverstone Lertpaichaiyon Jennifer Lynn Rush Sarah Michelle Bilodeau Craig A. Mai Joan S. Lutz Kacy Schoenfeld Lance E. Brooking ALASkA Ricardo O. Villa Wendy Dudley Smith Erica Renee Cox Melissa Jo Forcier fLORIDA Vikas M. Darji Jerry M. Wessling CALIfORNIA COLORADO Karis Chandler Sunshine A. Downs Elizabeth E. Bernhardt Kimberly Ann Brazie David Lee II Robert P. Holder ARIzONA Evelyn Constanza Michelle I. DiGiovanni Christian Michael Taylor Culp Holder Melissa Christ James T. Huck Richardson Melissa Horne -6- 2017 WGU Commencement.qxp_WGU Commencement 1/23/17 10:24 AM Page 7 MATHEMATICS EDUCATION CONT’D GEORGIA CONT’D kENTUCky NEW JERSEy Kimberly S. Norton Camille Crow Elaine G. Hudson Randi Michelle Murphy Matthew G. Cecconi Carrie L. Prickett Jared Embley Roselande Jean Linda Faye Rich Ismail Demirors Carrie A. Wymer Christy L. Gordon John D. Morrow Sebastian P. Loh Forrest T. Heiner Jacquelyn M. Pressley MARyLAND Michele Marie Nixon OkLAHOMA Shirley G. Izaguirre Marjorie Jade Smith Norbert Gouanet Brian A. Wolverton Bethany Henretty Ni'i B. Kinikini Melissa D. Vincent Claude Ngantchou Alisha Kay Larson NEW yORk OREGON Cassidy Lee Peterson HAWAII MASSACHUSETTS Mina Anwari Sarah Cunningham Emily Powers Jo-Hannah Liz Valdez Ian R. Burrows Kevin Austin Avery Matthew J. ornton Michael C. Price Alexandra S. Donahue Andrea Bell Rachel Rigby IDAHO Barry R. Grauman Ashlee Fazio PENNSyLvANIA Brent H. Simkins Aleasa Herman Brian R. Mackintosh Melissa R. Giles Amanda S. Anderson Heidi A. Stuart Robin R. McMurray Matthew L. Nachamkin Natalie M. Moritz MICHIGAN Emily A. Ruddy vIRGINIA ILLINOIS Julie Ann LaMar RHODE ISLAND Krista Gurnett Seth Michael Stevenson Tyler K. Stahl NORTH CAROLINA Kristy A. McFadden Jennifer M. Mason Robert Z. Winter Tammy Sue Youngs Daryl Rue SOUTH CAROLINA WEST vIRGINIA IOWA MONTANA OHIO Berkeley Anne Reiswig MacKenzie M. Langman Kathleen J. Block Bonnie Sue Eva Mary Beth DeLozier Clare M. Smith Nicholas R. Herd Shanna M. Glenn WyOMING kANSAS Scott M. Herzig Christopher M. Lantz UTAH Sarah Bardenett Farris Eva Kline Kelley A. Maddox Sarah Elizabeth Addington Sarah Anne VanNatter Christy LeAnn Matthes Mary K. Andersen Daniel J. Mayle DoriAnne Christensen SCIENCE EDUCATION ALASkA Lisa W. McDonald MICHIGAN NEW yORk Cassie A. Grether Lori Kay Moore Dirk D. Naegele Aline Diry Alla Azrilyan Greg L. Smith Brittany L. Pierce Laura Ann Nickles Joseph Iaquinta MINNESOTA vIRGINIA ARkANSAS GEORGIA John D. Bell OHIO John L. Poster Miranda J. Dickey Jody Lynn Knopf Heath Dale Dobberpuhl Madeline R. Black Angela Kathleen Mentzel Shane Alan Noecker Brittnee Donielle Inman WEST vIRGINIA CALIfORNIA Sarah Rose Oelkers Gregory D. Mallory Jenny Munro Ahlgrim HAWAII OREGON Rodney E. Tenney Torri Burke Miguel Alarcon Loayza MONTANA Georgina A. Jonathan B. Kamp Delacy A. Humbert Monrean-Fugate WISCONSIN Kenneth Nettlebeck IDAHO Sarah H. Kohnle Catherine Anne Spencer Kamille Kunz NEBRASkA PENNSyLvANIA George Adrian Mihai Joseph E. Lupo WyOMING COLORADO ILLINOIS Dominic J. Schiavone Mary K. Graves Carol Lynne Pritchett Hunter C. Seegers NEW HAMPSHIRE Keith Jacobson Eric William Kolifrath SOUTH