CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, the president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will deliver the 2015 Commencement address May 16 for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Commencement will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Memorial Stadium, 1402 S. First St., Champaign.
Lavizzo-Mourey received her M.D. at Harvard Medical School in 1979 and an MBA in health care administration in 1986 at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
She is the author of several books and numerous journal articles, the recipient of multiple awards and honors including the Distinguished Service Award from the National Medical Fellowships; the Beacon Award from the Althea Gibson Foundation; and the Alonzo Smythe Yerby Award from Harvard School of Public Health; and has been on the Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
Along with Ralph J. Cicerone, the president of the National Academy of Sciences and the chair of the National Research Council, Lavizzo-Mourey will be awarded at commencement with a U. of I. honorary doctor of science degree.
Cicerone earned his Ph.D. in 1970 on the U. of I.’s Urbana-Champaign campus, where his adviser was the esteemed Sidney A. Bowhill, the director of the Aeronomy Laboratory from 1962-87.
Timothy Nugent, the director emeritus of the U. of I.’s Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services, also will be awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.
Nugent is credited with founding the department during his 38-year career.
Lavizzo-Mourey’s speech to graduates will be “It’s Your Turn – Building a Culture of Health in America.”
The message mirrors the life mission of Lavizzo-Mourey, who took the helm of RWJF 10 years ago and oversees an endowment of more than $8 billion that is used to fund more than $400 million each year in projects focused on health and wellness.
Most recently, the foundation doubled a $500 million commitment made in 2007 to battle childhood obesity, with an array of national programs emphasizing better access for children to healthy foods and physical activity.
“Our goal is to ensure that everyone, no matter where they live or how much money they have, has the opportunity to make healthy choices and live a healthy life,” she said.
Commencement 2015 will be the second consecutive outdoor ceremony for the U. of I., and follows the start of extensive renovations last year to State Farm Center, the traditional venue.
Laura Wilhelm-Barr, the director of special events, said information on other Commencement-related events, including convocation and reception details, shuttle bus schedules and ticket distribution, can be found at www.commencement.illinois.edu.
