A unique group of acclaimed authors, award-winning journalists, and leaders in international relations, public service, politics, and finance will address and celebrate 2,668 American University graduates during the 151st commencement ceremony.  

This year’s speakers (in chronological order) are: award-winning journalist and Emmy nominee Andrew Ross Sorkin; president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Artis Stevens; educator and poet Clint Smith; former ambassador to the United Nations and Pulitzer Prize–winner Samantha Power; author and former CNN CEO Walter Isaacson; and Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD). 

The sound of traditional bagpipes will once again fill Bender Arena to open commencement, with processional beginning on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9, for most schools and colleges, followed by the Washington College of Law ceremony on Saturday, May 16. The events will be livestreamed for those unable to attend the ceremony.  

“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,” said AU President Jonathan R. Alger. “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.” 

Meet AU’s 2026 Commencement Speakers: 

Andrew Ross Sorkin is an award-winning journalist for The New York Times and co-anchor of Squawk Box, CNBC’s signature morning program. He is also editor-at-large of DealBook, the daily financial report that he launched in 2001. In 2007, the World Economic Forum named Sorkin a Young Global Leader. Sorkin is cochair of the New York Public Library’s Business Leadership Council and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the best-selling author of 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History—named to myriad lists of the best books of 2025—and Too Big to Fail, the definitive account of the 2008 financial crisis. Sorkin coproduced the film adaptation of the latter, which was nominated for 11 Emmys. He’s also the cocreator of Showtime’s Billions. He will address graduates of the Kogod School of Business on Friday, May 8 at 9 a.m. 

Artis Stevens, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS), is a global thought leader on youth empowerment and mentorship. He is the first Black leader in the organization’s 120-year history. Under his leadership, BBBS has dramatically expanded its reach to more underserved communities, secured a historic $122.6 million donation from MacKenzie Scott, and more than doubled the organization’s annual revenue. Stevens is now executing an ambitious agenda to reach 10 million young people through mentorship. In 2024, Stevens was named to the ForbesBLK Top 50 List and, in 2025, to Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential Leaders in Philanthropy. Stevens will address graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences on Friday, May 8 at 2 p.m.

Clint Smith is a poet, teacher, essayist, and staff writer at The Atlantic. He’s also author of How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America—winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, the Stowe Prize, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Smith is a former National Poetry Slam champion and a recipient of the Jerome J. Shestack Prize from the American Poetry Review. He will address graduates of the School of Education and the School of Communication on Saturday, May 9, at 9 a.m.

Ambassador Samantha Power, a Pulitzer Prize–winning author and Harvard professor, has served in top diplomatic roles under two presidential administrations. As USAID administrator from 2021–2025, she led efforts to combat corruption and democratic backsliding, responded to humanitarian crises, and helped countries adapt to climate change. Under her leadership, USAID expanded partnerships with the private sector and local organizations, distributed 700 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in developing countries, and supported Ukraine’s economy and energy sector in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Previously, she served as US permanent representative to the United Nations and a member of President Obama’s cabinet. A former war correspondent, Power has twice been named to Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. She will address graduates of the School of International Service on Saturday, May 9 at 2 p.m.

Walter Isaacson is a bestselling biographer of Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs. The 2023 National Humanities Award recipient served as CEO of CNN and the Aspen Institute after beginning his career at Time magazine. Isaacson previously chaired the Broadcasting Board of Governors under President Obama and served as vice chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. His latest book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, explores the Declaration of Independence. He will address the AU graduates of the School of Public Affairs on Saturday, May 9, at 6 p.m.

Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee and a former constitutional law professor at WCL, where in 1999 he cofounded the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. Raskin served as lead impeachment manager for the second impeachment trial of President Trump and on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol. He was a three-term Maryland state senator and is the author of several books, including 2022’s Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy. Raskin will address graduates of the Washington College of Law on Saturday, May 16, at 10 a.m.