New Orleans, La - On Saturday, May 27, 2023, Xavier University of Louisiana will celebrate Commencement for Graduate and Professional Studies at 9 a.m. Lisa P. Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, will honor the assembled graduates as their commencement speaker.

Recognized as a leader in business and having spent over two decades in government service, Lisa Jackson is the Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives at Apple. She oversees the company’s efforts to minimize its impact on the environment by addressing climate change through renewable energy and energy efficiency, using greener materials, and inventing new ways to conserve precious resources. Jackson also leads Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, a long-term commitment to address systemic racism by expanding opportunities for communities of color through education, economic empowerment, and criminal justice reform. She’s responsible for Apple’s education policy program, product accessibility work, and worldwide government affairs function. Appointed by President Barack Obama, Jackson was the first African American to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There, she focused on greenhouse gas reduction, air protection and water quality, the prevention of exposure to toxic contamination, and the expansion of environmental outreach to communities. She also served as chief of staff to New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and as commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection. She is the recipient of numerous awards and serves on boards for the Waverley Street Foundation, President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tulane University, Conservation International, and the San Francisco Film Society and the American Film Institute.

The Baccalaureate Mass will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 26, 2023; the University Honors and Awards Ceremony follows the Baccalaureate Mass. To get more information about the scheduling of these events, visit www.xula.edu/commencement. Xavier’s Spring 2023 commencement ceremonies are ticketed events that will allow 10 guests per graduate. The event will be livestreamed on Xavier’s commencement homepage and the university’s YouTube channel.

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About Xavier University of Louisiana

Xavier University of Louisiana, America’s only historically Black and Catholic University, is ranked among the top three HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) in the nation. Recognized as a national leader in STEM and health sciences, Xavier produces more African American students who graduate from medical schools each year than any other university in the United States. Additionally, Xavier’s College of Pharmacy is also among the top producers of African American pharmacists in the country.

Established in 1915 by Saint Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament as a place for African American and Native Americans to receive quality education, Xavier has since expanded its programs in art, business, education, biological sciences, chemistry, pharmacy and political science.

More recent additions in robotics, bioinformatics, engineering, data science, neuroscience and genetics, in addition to new STEM-based master’s programs, have provided Xavier students (2,749 undergraduates and 849 graduates) an unbeatable combination of traditional classroom study, hands-on research, service-learning opportunities and life experiences. Xavier students collaborate with world- renowned faculty, who are experts in their fields, to produce award-winning research and notable work. The winning Xavier formula is to provide students with a well-balanced curriculum and an environment that nurtures their intellect and feeds their souls, thereby facilitating a more just and humane society for all. For more information about Xavier University of Louisiana, visit us online at www.xula.edu or contact Regi Reyes at (504) 520-5425 or rreyes@xula.edu.