GALESBURG, Ill. (AP) — The head of one of Chicago’s premier attractions is slated to give the keynote address to Knox College graduates this year.
The western Illinois school has announced Shedd Aquarium CEO Bridget Coughlin will deliver the 2019 commencement address on June 2.
Commencement speakers at the Galesburg-based college have previously included Barack Obama, actress Eva Longoria, former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and comedian Stephen Colbert.
Knox College President Teresa Amott says Coughlin’s story “will inspire this year’s graduating class to make the world a better place.”
Coughlin graduated from Knox College in 1994 with a biochemistry degree. Before joining the Shedd Aquarium in 2015, she served as a vice president at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. She also spent five years at the National Academy of Sciences.
