Former GM CEO Rick Wagoner will be VCU’s May commencement speaker

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Rick Wagoner, the former CEO and chairman of General Motors Corp., will serve as the keynote speaker at Virginia Commonwealth University's commencement ceremony in May.

Wagoner, a Delaware native who was raised in the Richmond area and graduated from J.R. Tucker High School, enjoyed a 32-year career with General Motors. He retired in 2009 after six years as chairman/CEO and several years prior as president/CEO - when he became the youngest CEO in GM history. His previous roles with the company included leadership positions in North America, Europe and Brazil.

Wagoner and his wife, Kathy, have championed wide-ranging fundraising efforts at VCU. Their work on the steering committee for the Make It Real Campaign for VCU helped the initiative raise nearly $850 million by the time it closed in 2020. Today, they again serve - this time in the cabinet for the Unlocking Potential campaign, whose $1.838 billion goal honors the 1838 founding of VCU's Medical College. The Wagoners have further supported schools and programs across VCU's Monroe Park and MCV campuses, including creating the Wagoner Family Endowed Scholarship in the School of Business.

VCU's universitywide commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 N. Third St. The event will be livestreamed at https://www.vcu.edu.

For more information, including department ceremonies and an RSVP link for new graduates, visit commencement.vcu.edu.