Fall 2023 Commencement Speakers
This year’s Fall 2023 Commencement speakers are Laura Meckler and Ron Dunford.
Laura Meckler will speak for the morning commencement happening on December 16 at 9:30 a.m.
Meckler is national education writer for the Washington Post, where she covers the news, politics and people shaping American schools. She previously reported on the White House, presidential politics, immigration, and health care for the Wall Street Journal, as well as on health and social policy for the Associated Press. Before coming to Washington, Laura covered state government in Columbus, Ohio.
She got her start covering everything from schools and cops to the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame festival at The Repository in Canton, Ohio. Her honors include a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University. She received the Livingston Award for National Reporting for her coverage of organ transplantation, and she was part of a team that won the George Polk Award for Justice Reporting for a series on the life of George Floyd. She is the author of “DREAM TOWN: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity,” about her hometown. She now lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two sons.
Ron Dunford will speak for the afternoon commencement happening on December 16 at 2 p.m.
Ron Dunford was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Schreiber Foods in 2019. He is Schreiber’s eighth President and CEO. Ron spent more than 40 years in the dairy industry.
Ron joined Schreiber in 1996 at the Green Bay, Wisconsin, home office. He was named a Vice President in 2000, Senior Vice President in 2002, President & COO of Schreiber Chain Sales in 2003, President & COO Operations in 2006, and President Schreiber U.S. in 2014. Additionally, Ron was elected to the Schreiber Foods Board of Directors in 2003.
Ron serves as a Board Member for the Utah State University Center for Entrepreneurship, the International Dairy Foods Association, and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy where he serves as Food Safety Vice Chair. He also served a 2-year term as the Chairman of the National Cheese Institute. In the community, Ron is actively involved with non-profits and in serving the needs of others.
He earned a B.S. in Geology from Utah State University in Logan, Utah.
He and his wife Dana have two married sons and have been blessed with five grandchildren. Ron enjoys spending time in the mountains; skiing, hiking, and biking. He is also a life-long learner with a passion for helping others achieve their dreams.
