Speakers

Seven honorary degree recipients include leaders in industry and higher education, and heroes on the pandemic front lines.

Three of the honorees will deliver Commencement addresses. They are:

  • Lisa Bisaccia, former executive vice president and chief human resources officer at CVS Health. She will deliver the Graduate Commencement Address and receive an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree at the Graduate Commencement ceremony on May 20.
  • Dennis Coleman, JD, Senior Counsel at Ropes & Gray, who represents a wide variety of sports, media and entertainment clients including the National Football League and Boston Red Sox. He will deliver the Commencement address at the May 22 morning ceremony. He will receive an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree.
  • The Honorable Ronald K. Machtley will deliver the Commencement address on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday, May 23. Machtley served as Bryant’s eighth president for 24 years (1996-2020) and was one of the longest serving college or university presidents in the country. He will receive an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree.

Also recognized with honorary degrees in recognition of outstanding career achievements and mission-driven contributions to the region and their fields are:

  • Paari Gopalakrishnan, MD, ’09MBA, Chief Medical Officer at Care New England Kent Hospital, who led the effort to establish Rhode Island’s COVID field hospital in Cranston. He will receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree at the Graduate 2021 Commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 20.
  • Rosanne Somerson, president of Rhode Island School of Design, advocate for the arts and an accomplished leader building a creative learning environment with innovative integration of technical knowledge, design thinking and the arts. She will receive an Honorary Doctor of Organizational Leadership degree at the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on Saturday morning, May 22.
  • Andrey Zarur, Ph.D., P ’24, co-founder of GreenLight Biosciences, noted for developing advanced biological solutions for world challenges including pandemic response, sustainable food production and access to effective human health. He will receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree at the Undergraduate Ceremony the afternoon of May 22.
  • Debra Paul ’85, ’94MBA, president and Chief Executive Officer of Fellowship Health Resources, a not-for-profit behavioral healthcare organization supporting individuals across seven states in recovery from mental illness, co-occurring disorders and related chronic health conditions. She will receive an Honorary Doctor of Organizational Leadership degree at the May 23 Class of 2020 ceremony.