Schools

UK Ambassador To Be Connecticut College Commencement Speaker

Louis Susman will speak at May 20 graduation

An ambassador with connections to Connecticut College and the region has been chosen as this year's commencement speaker.

The college announced that Louis Susman, the American ambassador to the United Kingdom, will give the keynote address at the 94th commencement exercises in May. A committee of students, faculty, and staff selected Susman for the role.

"Connecticut College is honored to welcome the ambassador back to our campus for this important occasion," said Leo I. Higdon, Jr., Connecticut College's president. "We look forward to hearing the words of advice and encouragement he will offer to the Class of 2012 and our guests."

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According to the State Department, Susman practiced law for 27 years in St. Louis, Mo. and was a senior partner with the law firm Thompson & Mitchell. Susman later became vice president of the Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking and served on the Citigroup International Advisory Board. He also served as the director of the Center for National Policy in Washington, D.C., and in 1988 President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. President Barack Obama appointed Susman ambassador to the United Kingdom, and he began serving in this capacity in August of 2009.

According to Connecticut College, Susman also worked with Higdon as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers during the 1980s. Susman's daughter, Sally Susman, is the executive vice president of Pfizer Inc. and graduated from Connecticut College in 1984. She served on the college's board of trustees from 2002 to 2011.

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Connecticut College's commencement will take place at 11 a.m. on May 20 on Tempel Green, following a 10:35 a.m. processional.

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