This May, about 1,060 students will receive their degrees over three days during Marymount University’s 2025 commencement ceremonies in its 75th anniversary year. The newest graduates of Marymount, Virginia’s first and only Hispanic-Serving Institution and the state’s most diverse private institution, will hear from three distinguished commencement speakers—construction mogul Linda Rabbitt, philanthropist Constance Fernandez and former Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.
All three featured commencement speakers will receive honorary degrees during the weekend ceremonies, which are organized by College with each including undergraduate and graduate students:
- Friday, May 16: College of Business, Innovation, Leadership and Technology
- Featured Speaker: Linda Rabbitt, founder and executive chairman of Rand Construction Corporation
- Alumni Speaker: Valerie Hunter ’03 (Sector Vice President of Human Resources at BAE Systems)
- Saturday, May 17: College of Health and Education
- Featured Speaker: Constance Fernandez, philanthropist
- Alumni Speaker: Donna Owen ’93 (former Director of Health Services at Vinson Hall Military Retirement Community)
- Sunday, May 18: College of Sciences and Humanities
- Featured Speaker: Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the U.S. Navy, retired
- Alumni Speaker: Michael D. Smith ‘01 (former CEO of AmeriCorps)
Learn more about all commencement speakers and 2025 commencement events.
The ceremonies will include students who qualify for graduation from the Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 semesters and students who graduated in Summer 2024 but did not participate in last year’s ceremonies. They will be held outdoors on the Converse Family Field on Main Campus.
Linda Rabbitt
Linda Rabbitt is the founder and executive chairman of Rand Construction Corporation, one of the top commercial general contractors in the D.C. metro area and the largest woman-founded, woman-owned commercial general contractor in the U.S. Since 1989, she has provided executive direction over all aspects of corporate and financial operations.
Rabbitt currently serves on the boards of Children’s National Hospital, the Economic Club of Washington, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, the Federal City Council and HEROES, Inc. Previously, she served as chair or president of the Federal Reserve Bank’s 5th District, Greater Washington Board of Trade, Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), the Washington Building Congress (WBC) and the Washington chapter of the International Women’s Forum.
She is a trustee emerita at George Washington University, where she founded a program that teaches C-suite women the roles and responsibilities of corporate board directorship. Later, she created a similar program at Harvard Business School. Among her many accolades, she has been named one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in D.C.” by Washingtonian. She holds a master’s degree from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.
Constance Fernandez
Constance Tolevich Fernandez’s journey has been one of a diverse background in both professional and philanthropic endeavors. Throughout her career, she has held various corporate, management and ownership positions across the health care, retail and restaurant industries. Most notably, her contributions to the community reflect her unwavering enthusiasm and commitment.
Currently, Fernandez serves on the Board of Trustees at Ransom Everglades School, where she has played a pivotal role in fundraising efforts, including chairing the successful $75 million STEM capital campaign. Additionally, she is a trustee at St. Thomas University and has previously served on the boards of the United Way and the Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation. Her fundraising initiatives have significantly benefited institutions such as Baptist Hospital, Breakthrough, the Perez Art Museum, Miami Metro Zoo, UM-Sylvester Cancer Center and the Miami Children’s Museum, along with numerous political causes.
She is the proud mother of Cristofer, a junior at Loyola Marymount University, and also embraces her role as stepmother and step-grandmother. Originally from Sterling Heights, Mich., she earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan’s Business School and a Master of Arts in International Administration from the University of Miami. Her hobbies include riding and breeding Friesian horses at their ranch in Tallahassee, running and reading. Fernandez is a member of the Ocean Reef and Fisher Island Clubs.
Together with her husband Miguel, she recognizes the critical importance of education and the vitality of health care, which are the primary focuses of the Miguel B. Fernandez Family Foundation.
Carlos Del Toro
Carlos Del Toro served as the 78th Secretary of the U.S. Navy from 2021-2025. In this role, he was responsible for over 900,000 Sailors, Marines, reservists and civilian personnel, with an annual budget exceeding $210 billion to address the most pressing worldwide challenges confronting the Navy and Marine Corps.
Born in Cuba, he immigrated to the U.S. with his family as refugees and later received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. His 22-year naval career featured a series of critical appointments and numerous tours of duty at sea. These include serving as First Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Bulkeley guided missile destroyer, Senior Executive Assistant to the Director for Program Analysis and Evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Special Assistant to the Director and Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget. In the latter role, he helped manage the budgets of the Department of Defense, Department of State, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office and the Peace Corps.
After retiring as Commander, Del Toro founded SBG Technology Solutions in 2004. As its CEO and president, he supported Department of Navy defense programs in shipbuilding, AI, cybersecurity, acquisition programs, space systems, health and training.
He holds a master’s in national security studies from the Naval War College, a master’s in space systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a master’s in legislative affairs from George Washington University.
Updated April 2025
