Assumption University Announces 2025 Commencement Speakers
Assumption University today announced that Jeffrey W. Talley G’85 and Sheila M. Harrity G’92 will speak at the Undergraduate and Graduate School Commencement ceremonies in May.
“We are honored to welcome these two distinguished Assumption alumni back to campus to share their insight and experience with our graduates,” said Assumption University President Greg Weiner. “Dr. Talley and Dr. Harrity have both dedicated their lives to civil service and the pursuit of the common good. They embody what it means to be a graduate of this University through their commitment to leadership, service, and excellence.”
Jeffrey W. Talley, Ph.D G’85 will deliver the commencement address at the 2025 Undergraduate Commencement ceremony where he will also receive an honorary doctorate. The undergraduate ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 18, at 10 a.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Talley is a distinguished scholar, business leader, and retired three-star general who served as the 32nd Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Command from 2012 to 2016.
Serving in the highest rank and position a member of the Army Reserve can hold, Talley led an organization of over 215,000 Soldiers and civilians, managed an annual operating budget of approximately $9 billion, and provided instrumental leadership in modernizing the Army Reserve and enhancing its readiness and capabilities.
Talley’s military service began in 1981 when he was commissioned as second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Over the next 35 years, his service included deployments to Korea, Kuwait, and Iraq, where he played pivotal roles in operations such as Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has received two Army Distinguished Medals and three Bronze Star Medals. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2016 and was honored by the U.S. Senate in the congressional record. In 2023, he was awarded the Gold de Fleury Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
In addition to his military service, Talley has made significant contributions to the private, public, and academic sectors. He is a nationally recognized expert in Engineering, Business, and Policy, who has held academic appointments at the University of Notre Dame, Southern Methodist University, The Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and the University of Southern California.
As a business leader, he held roles as Vice President and Global Fellow at IBM and President & CEO of Environmental Technology Solutions – a company he co-founded to develop and commercialize technology from his academic research.
Currently, Talley is President & CEO of The P3i Group, an advisory services firm that provides senior management consulting to clients with emphasis on the application of public-private partnerships to solve complex problems and create new opportunities. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to Equifax.
Talley received his Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and his Executive M.B.A. from the University of Oxford, England. He holds an M.S.E. from The Johns Hopkins University, an M.L.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, an M.S.S. from the U.S. Army War College, an M.A. in Religious Studies from Assumption University, and a B.S. from Louisiana State University. He is a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.), a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer (BCEE), and a Board-Certified Water Resources Engineer (BC.WRE).
Sheila M. Harrity, Ed.D. G’92 will deliver the commencement address at the 2025 Graduate Commencement ceremony which will be held on Wednesday, May 21, at 4 p.m. in the Plourde Recreation Center on the Assumption University campus.
Harrity is a nationally renowned educational leader who served as Superintendent of the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School District from 2014 to 2022.
After graduating from Providence College in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in social work, Harrity went on to earn two master’s degrees in education, one in early childhood education and teaching from Worcester State University and one in special education and teaching from Assumption University.
While teaching in Worcester Public Schools, Harrity was asked to address the dropout rate in the city’s high schools. In a pilot program, 47 students were invited back to the classroom, where she taught them mathematics, career exploration, and basketball – Harrity herself was a former basketball player for the PC Friars. The program’s standout success led to its growth in serving 450 students, and in 1997, she was named Worcester Public Schools Teacher of the Year.
In 2006, Harrity was selected to be principal of the new Worcester Technical High School, a $90 million facility that included a bank, spa, bakery, veterinary clinic, restaurant, graphics shop, and automotive garage. Worcester Tech was named a Blue Ribbon School – one of the 286 best public and private schools in the country – by the U.S. Department of Education, and Harrity was named Massachusetts Principal of the Year in 2013. The following year, she was honored as National High School Principal of the Year at the White House, and President Barack Obama served as the school’s graduation speaker.
From 2014 until her retirement in 2022, Harrity was superintendent of the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School District in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, the second largest vocational district in the state, serving nearly 1,500 students from 18 communities. She also served as vice chair of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education from 2015-2022. Harrity earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Northeastern University in 2013.
In 2022, Harrity became coordinator of the Extended Campus Program run by the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators which, in collaboration with Fitchburg State University and Westfield State University, helps vocational teachers and administrators earn professional licenses and college degrees.