Jamie Raskin, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Artis Stevens, Clint Smith, Samantha Power and Walter Isaacson will be honored as American University’s commencement speakers at the spring 2026 graduation, the University announced on Wednesday.
This year’s commencement ceremony will be the University’s 151st, and according to a press release from administration, speakers will address 2,668 graduates across six schools. The initial ceremony will be the Kogod School of Business graduation on May 8, while others will have their ceremony on May 9. The Washington College of Law will follow on May 16.
“American University’s 151st commencement will bring together an extraordinary group of leaders whose lives and work reflect the very best of our mission — to turn knowledge into action and service in a complex world,” University President Jonathan R. Alger said in a press release.
Ceremonies will be held in Bender Arena.
Award-winning journalist Sorkin will speak to the Kogod School of Business graduating class. Sorkin is the founder and editor-at-large of DealBook, a financial news service through The New York Times, and the co-anchor of CNBC’s Squawk Box.
Once named a Young Global Leader in 2007 by the World Economic Forum, Sorkin now co-chairs the New York Library’s Business Leadership Council and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Sorkin has also published several books, including “Too Big to Fail” on the 2008 financial crisis. The book won multiple awards, and Sorkin co-produced an Emmy-nominated film adaptation.
Sorkin will speak to graduates at 9 a.m. on May 8, followed by Stevens at 2 p.m., who will speak to graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences on the same day.
After assuming the roles of president and CEO of the nonprofit Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in 2021, Stevens became the first Black leader of the organization in its 120-year history. Steven’s efforts to reach 10 million people through mentorship landed him in the ForbesBLK Top 50 List in 2024 and in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential Leaders in Philanthropy in 2025.
Ceremonies will resume at 9 a.m. on May 9 with Smith speaking at the joint graduation ceremony for the School of Education and the School of Communication.
A teacher, poet and writer, Smith previously taught high school English just north of Washington, D.C., in Prince George’s County, Md. Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic and wrote “How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America,” which won awards including the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction. Smith is also a former National Poetry Slam champion and the recipient of the Jerome J. Shestack Prize from the American Poetry Review.
Pulitzer-Prize winning author, Harvard professor and foreign policy expert Power will speak at the School of International Service graduation ceremony at 2 p.m. on May 9.
Power served under two different presidential administrations in top diplomatic roles: the U.S. Agency for International Development administrator during the Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the second Obama administration.
In her role as USAID administrator, Power worked to expand partnerships with the private sector and local organizations, distributed 700 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in developing countries and helped to support Ukraine’s economy and energy sector after Russia invaded the country in 2022. Power has been named twice to Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
Isaacson’s speech before the School of Public Affairs at 6 p.m. on May 9 will conclude the University’s undergraduate commencement ceremonies.
The former CEO of CNN and the Aspen Institute is now a renowned biographer, writing about the lives of Benjamin Franklin, Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, Elon Musk, Henry Kissinger and Albert Einstein. Isaacson was the 2023 National Humanities Award recipient, and under President Obama, the chair of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. He was also previously the vice chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority and recently wrote “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written,” which explores the Declaration of Independence and was published in 2025.
WCL professor emeritus and current Maryland Delegate to the House of Representatives Jamie Raskin will speak to Washington College of Law graduates at 10 a.m. on May 16.
Raskin is a former professor of constitutional law at WCL, and during his more than 25 years of work at the University, he co-founded the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project in 1999. During his tenure in Congress, Raskin served as the lead manager for the second impeachment trial of President Trump and on the Select Committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Previously a three-term Maryland state senator, Raskin has written several books.
“From award-winning authors and groundbreaking journalists to public servants and advocates, these speakers will challenge and inspire our graduates to dream big, lead with integrity, and use their education in service to others,” Alger said in the press release.
This article was edited by Gabrielle McNamee, Payton Anderson and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman. Fact-checking done by Andrew Kummeth.
