This May, about 860 students will receive their degrees during Marymount University’s 2026 commencement ceremonies, held from May 16-17 at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Constitution Hall in Washington.
The Class of 2026 includes 376 undergraduate students and 488 graduate students, including 250 doctoral candidates who will participate in Marymount’s annual hooding ceremony on Saturday, May 16 at 4 pm. Celebrations will continue on Sunday, May 17, beginning with the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony at 10 am followed by the Graduate Commencement Ceremony at 2 pm. Both of Sunday’s ceremonies will include students from all three of the University’s Colleges—the College of Business, Innovation, Leadership and Technology (BILT), the College of Health and Education (CHE) and the College of Sciences and Humanities (CSH).
Graduates will hear from a distinguished group of commencement speakers whose careers reflect leadership, service and commitment to community:
- Sunday, May 17: Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony, 10 am
- Featured Speaker: Mario Murgado, President and CEO of Murgado Automotive Group, Inc.
- Alumni Speaker: Damon Porter ’94, Global Head of Enterprise Government Affairs at Veralto
- Sunday, May 17: Graduate Commencement Ceremony, 2 pm
- Featured Speaker: Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Former Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia
- Alumni Speaker: Terri Feely ’96, Chief People Officer at Inova Health System
Learn more about all speakers and 2026 commencement events.
The ceremonies will include students who qualify for graduation from the Fall 2025, Spring 2026 and Summer 2026 semesters, as well as eligible students from previous terms who did not participate in earlier ceremonies.
Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony Featured Speaker
Mario Murgado, President and CEO of Murgado Automotive Group, Inc.
Mario Murgado is a Cuban American entrepreneur whose journey reflects resilience, ambition and a deep commitment to family and community. He arrived in the United States alone as a young child through the 1966 Freedom Flights, later reuniting with his father and growing up in the Midwest before settling in Miami. Drawn early to the automotive world, Murgado began his career as a car salesman in 1981 and steadily rose through the ranks, demonstrating a keen eye for opportunity and leadership.
Today, Murgado serves as the founder and CEO of Murgado Automotive Group, which he has guided for more than two decades while working closely with many of the world’s leading automotive brands. Beyond his business success, he is widely respected for his civic and philanthropic leadership, currently serving as chairman of the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Board and on the Board of Trustees for St. Thomas University. He has also held numerous state and national leadership roles within the automotive industry and nonprofit sector, reflecting a career defined by service, innovation and giving back.
Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony Alumni Speaker
Damon Porter ‘94, Global Head of Enterprise Government Affairs at Veralto
Damon Porter is a seasoned corporate affairs and public policy leader with three decades of experience guiding organizations through complex regulatory, governance and global market challenges. A proud Marymount alumnus, he currently serves as global head of government affairs at Veralto, where he leads enterprise-level strategy for globally recognized brands advancing water and product quality innovation. Known for his ability to anticipate emerging issues, manage risk and build durable consensus, Porter has advised corporate boards, senior executives and public officials during periods of rapid technological, political and market change.
Porter’s career spans senior leadership roles at major corporations and trade associations, including McKesson, Time Warner Cable and Global Automakers, with experience across precision health care, telecommunications, automotive innovation and global trade. He has played a contributing role in early efforts to deploy gigabit networks and expand rural high-speed access as Missouri’s “broadband czar.” He earned his Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law and remains actively engaged in civic and nonprofit leadership, contributing his expertise to organizations focused on the arts, education, conservation and global engagement.
Graduate Commencement Ceremony Featured Speaker
Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Former Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia
Aimee Rogstad Guidera is a nationally recognized education leader and public servant who served as Virginia’s Secretary of Education from 2022 to 2026, following her appointment by Governor Glenn Youngkin. In this Cabinet role, she oversaw education policy across the Commonwealth from pre-K through postsecondary education, helping advance the governor’s education priorities statewide.
Before her service in Virginia, Guidera built a distinguished career as a strategic consultant and nonprofit leader focused on improving student learning and outcomes. She is the founder and former CEO of the Data Quality Campaign, a nonpartisan national nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality and use of education data to support student success.
Born and raised in Maryland, Guidera earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and later received a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Her professional experience includes teaching for the Japanese Ministry of Education and senior leadership roles with the National Governors Association, the National Alliance of Business and the National Center for Educational Accountability. A respected thought leader, she was named one of Time Magazine’s 12 Education Activists and has served on numerous national boards and advisory councils. She and her husband raised two daughters and now reside in Virginia.
Graduate Commencement Ceremony Alumni Speaker
Terri Feely ’96, Chief People Officer at Inova Health System
Terri Feely is the chief people officer at Inova, where she leads all aspects of the organization’s human resources strategy and operations. Since joining Inova in 2018, she has worked closely with the CEO to foster a workplace environment grounded in respect, growth and opportunity while architecting an enterprise-wide cultural transformation to evolve Inova’s operating model with an emphasis on leadership development and accountability.
Under Feely’s leadership, Inova made enhancing the team member experience a strategic imperative, grounded in the belief that exceptional patient care begins with a thriving workforce. These efforts have resulted in a highly engaged staff with industry-leading low turnover, as well as national recognition as a Best Place to Work by Glassdoor, Forbes, Newsweek and Becker’s Hospital Review.
A visionary and results-driven human resources leader, Feely brings more than 30 years of experience building high-performing, highly engaged workforces. Her career includes senior leadership roles at Asurion, where she served as senior vice president of human resources and helped earn the company recognition as a top workplace, as well as leading her own human resources consulting practice. She has twice been named one of Becker’s Hospital Review’s “Chief Human Resources/Chief People Officers to Know,” and was honored as Human Resources Leader of the Year by the Human Resources Leadership Association. Feely received her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and management from West Liberty University and earned her Master of Science in human resources management from Marymount University.
