Commencement Speakers
Meet Our Commencement 2024 Speakers
At Marymount University’s upcoming 73rd annual commencement ceremonies, our newest graduates will hear from three distinguished commencement speakers – Hilton President and CEO Christopher Nassetta, Monumental Sports co-owner Raul Fernandez and Marymount Board of Trustees Vice Chair Marlene Malek. This year, three prominent alumni will also introduce the guest speakers, one for each of the three College ceremonies – President of Asset Health William Cueto ’91, Consular Section Chief of the U.S. Consulate General Toronto Ian Hopper ’96 and Salus Health and Bravo Ventures CEO Yinka Adepoju ’08.
Featured Speakers
Christopher Nassetta
Speaker for the College of Business, Innovation, Leadership and Technology, May 10, 2024
Christopher Nassetta has served as President and CEO of Hilton since 2007. Prior to his current role, he led Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. as President and CEO following roles as Executive Vice President and COO. In 1991, he co-founded Bailey Capital Corporation and oversaw the real estate investment and advisory firm’s operations. He also spent seven years as Chief Development Officer at The Oliver Carr Company, responsible for all development activities for one of the largest commercial real estate companies in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Nassetta’s influence also includes participation in various boards and organizations, including the U.S. Travel Association, World Travel & Tourism Council, Business Roundtable, CoStar Group, Inc., Federal City Council, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Economic Club of Washington, D.C., Arlington Free Clinic and Real Estate Roundtable.
Nassetta graduated from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce with a degree in finance, and today serves on the school’s advisory board and shares his expertise with the next generation of business leaders.
Raul Fernandez
Speaker for the College of Science and Humanities, May 11, 2024
Raul Fernandez is an entrepreneur, investor, executive and board member. He currently is President and CEO of DXC Technology and Vice Chairman and Co-Owner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment. He also serves on various boards that include Broadcom, Inc., DXC Technology, URBANEER, Volition Capital, Carrick Capital Partners and NeuroSync.
Fernandez brings more than three decades of executive experience in scaling innovative and rapidly growing technology companies. As a hands-on member of the Monumental Sports & Entertainment leadership team, he is involved in various aspects of the business that include global sponsorship, esports, partnerships and technology innovation. He also serves as an alternate governor for the NBA Board of Governors.
Born in Washington, D.C., to immigrant parents from Cuba and Ecuador, Fernandez is an active philanthropist, focusing his energy primarily on education reform in the D.C. region. Passionate about making higher education accessible to high school students, Fernandez is a board member of the District of Columbia College Access Program and the Fernandez Foundation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland.
Marlene Malek
Speaker for the College of Health and Education, May 12, 2024
Marlene Malek ‘79 is a community activist, health care advocate and patron of the arts. She is currently the Vice Chair of Friends of Cancer Research and is on the boards of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and Duke University’s Cancer Institute. Additionally, she serves on the boards for the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Leadership Council, Executive Roundtable of the Republican Governors, Explore Children’s Museum, George and Barbara Bush Foundation, Vital Voices Global Partnership and Public Broadcasting for Greater Washington (WETA).
At Marymount, Malek serves as the Vice Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees. The Malek School of Nursing Professions is named in honor of Malek and her late husband, Frederic Malek, for their service and commitment to the institution. She also received the Distinguished Alumni Award for the College of Health and Education at Marymount’s inaugural Halo Awards and the University’s Gold Medal for Community Leadership.
Beyond campus, Malek has received countless accolades that include a presidential appointment to the National Cancer Advisory Board and the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She was also awarded the Lincoln Medal and named a ‘Washingtonian of the Year’ for her work to build support for cancer research.
Alumni Speakers
William Cueto
Speaker for the College of Business, Innovation, Leadership and Technology, May 10, 2024
William Cueto ‘91 is the current President of Asset Health, where he serves as an industry leader in the areas of workforce health and well-being, employee development, performance optimization and corporate culture. His career spans over 20 years, and includes roles as Global Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Government Affairs for ADP and General Counsel of ADP TotalSource. He has also served on several industry boards, such as the health care committee of the Business Roundtable in Washington, D.C.
Cueto has actively served the community by creating, hosting and co-producing the cable television program Builders of Hope, a series revolving around young Catholic professionals and how they live out their professions for good. The show has aired in over 100 countries.
While at Marymount, Cueto interned for the Chief Economist of the United States. He received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1991 before earning a law degree from Saint Thomas University, and is now admitted to practice law in the State of Florida and the Supreme Court of the United States of America.
Ian Hopper
Speaker for the College of Science and Humanities, May 11, 2024
Ian Hopper ‘96 has served as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State since 2002. In his current role as a U.S. Diplomat, he is responsible for immigration issues and the safety of over one million U.S. citizens living in and visiting Canada. He has served most of his career overseas in Iraq, Germany, Jordan, India, Togo and the Philippines, as well as domestically in Washington through his recent role as Director of the State Department’s Office of Iraqi Affairs.
Hopper holds a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College and a bachelor of arts in Political Science from Marymount, and speaks French and Arabic. He has stayed connected to the Marymount community as a former adjunct instructor in the University’s Political Science program, and as a member of the advisory board for the College of Sciences and Humanities.
Yinka Adepoju
Speaker for the College of Health and Education, May 12, 2024
Yinka Adepoju ‘08 is the current Chief Executive Officer at Salus Health and Bravo Ventures, where he oversees strategic investments in growth equity. His focus areas include startup companies in behavioral health and rehabilitation medicine, health tech, technology and socially conscious projects. With a passion for innovation and leadership in health care, Adepoju served as the Chief Executive Officer for Baltimore Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, an integrative medicine and orthopedic organization that spanned over seven states before its acquisition.
Adepoju earned his master’s in Physical Therapy from American International College, his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Marymount and holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Psychology from the University of Maryland. He also holds a doctorate degree in Osteopathy.
