Campbell University
04/02/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/02/2026 06:21
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis to speak at Campbell Law hooding, graduation ceremony on May 8
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis to speak at Campbell Law hooding, graduation ceremony on May 8
April 2, 2026
RALEIGH - U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) will offer the commencement address at Campbell University School of Law's 48th annual hooding and graduation ceremony on Friday, May 8, 2026, Dean J. Rich Leonard has announced.
"I am proud to announce that Senator Tillis will serve as our hooding and graduation speaker as we celebrate 50 years as a law school," Leonard said. "He is an important voice in our national discourse."
The celebration is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Memorial Auditorium in the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh.
"It will be a true honor to speak at Campbell Law's commencement ceremony and to meet the next generation of North Carolina's attorneys," said Tillis, who was first elected to represent North Carolina in 2014 and is currently serving in his second term after being re-elected in 2020. "These graduates will provide remarkable leadership in our state and beyond."
Tillis, who is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Veterans' Affairs Committee, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and Judiciary Committee, announced on June 29, 2025, that he would not seek re-election to a third term. He plans to finish his current term, which ends in January 2027.
Before serving in the Senate, he was Speaker of the House in the North Carolina General Assembly where he played an instrumental role in enacting job-creating policies and reforming North Carolina's tax and regulatory codes.
Tillis was born into a working-class family with his father, mother and five siblings. During his childhood, his family was frequently forced to relocate depending on where his parents could find work. After graduating from high school, Tillis was unable to afford college, so he took a job as a warehouse records clerk earning minimum wage. He knows firsthand how difficult it is to raise a family while attending school at night, struggling to make ends meet.
Through hard work and dedication, Tillis quickly moved up the corporate ladder, earning his degree at 36 and becoming a top-level executive at PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM. His 29-year private sector career in technology and management consulting provided him with a deep understanding of policy-making and the management of complex organizations.
He lives with his wife, Susan, in Huntersville and they are the proud parents of two grown children.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation's top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation's best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2026, Campbell Law is celebrating 50 years of graduating legal leaders and 17 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina's Capital City.
Contributors
Lisa Snedeker Writer
This article is related to:
Campbell University published this content on April 02, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 02, 2026 at 12:22 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]