91爱豆传媒

91爱豆传媒 (91爱豆传媒) is pleased to announce the speaker for its 126th Commencement Exercises will be Kiese Laymon, an award-winning author, the Libbie Shearn Moody Professor of English and Creative Writing at Rice University, and a 2022 MacArthur Fellow. This year鈥檚 Commencement will be held Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 11 a.m., in the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium.

In addition, 91爱豆传媒 will confer honorary doctorates to four outstanding individuals: commencement speaker Kiese Laymon, NAACP Berkshire County Branch President Dennis L. Powell, North Adams Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Barbara Malkas, and Massachusetts State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier. 

鈥淚 am excited to have Professor Kiese Laymon as the Commencement speaker for this year鈥檚 ceremony,鈥� said 91爱豆传媒 President James F. Birge, Ph.D. 鈥淗is perspective on the world and the value he places on liberal arts learning are more necessary than ever as the College reaffirms its mission of providing a life-changing education to all who seek it. I look forward to the inspiration and wisdom Professor Laymon will undoubtedly share with our graduating class.鈥� 

Kiese Laymon, Doctor of Humane Letters
Kiese Laymon is a Black southern writer from Jackson, Mississippi. He is the Libbie Shearn Moody Professor of English and Creative Writing at Rice University. Laymon is the author of 鈥淟ong Division,鈥� which won the 2022 NAACP Image Award for fiction, and the essay collection 鈥淗ow to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America,鈥� named a notable book of 2021 by the New York Times. Laymon鈥檚 bestselling memoir, 鈥淗eavy: An American Memoir,鈥� won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose, the Barnes and Noble Discovery Award, and the Austen Riggs Erikson Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media, and was named one of the 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years by The New York Times. The audiobook, read by the author, was named the Audible 2018 Audiobook of the Year. Laymon鈥檚 newest book, published April 1, is 鈥淐ity Summer, Country Summer,鈥� a lyrical picture book about three Black boys on a summer trip down South.

Laymon is the recipient of 2020-2021 Radcliffe Fellowship at Harvard. He is at work on the book 鈥淕ood God鈥� and a number of film and television projects. He is the founder of The Catherine Coleman Literary Arts and Justice Initiative, based out of the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University and aimed to aid local young people in becoming more comfortable reading, writing, revising, and sharing on their own terms, in their own communities. He is the co-host of Reckon True Stories with Deesha Philyaw, and was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2022.

Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Doctor of Public Service
Tricia Farley-Bouvier was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2011. She represents the city of Pittsfield, which has always been her home.

In the House, Representative Farley-Bouvier chairs the Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet, and Cybersecurity. In the Progressive Caucus, she serves as co-chair with Representative Jack Patrick Lewis to advance legislation that promotes economic, social, and environmental justice.

Representative Farley-Bouvier works with legislators from 26 post-industrial cities across the Commonwealth to promote legislation and funding to bring economic development to our communities through the Gateway Cities Caucus. As a member of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, she serves as co-chair of the Sexual Violence Task Force with Representative Natalie Higgins. By bringing advocates and experts together, supporting legislation, and encouraging state legislators and staff to build relationships with their local support services, the Task Force seeks to center the voices of survivors and raise awareness about sexual violence.
Representative Farley-Bouvier graduated from Pittsfield High School, went on to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in special and elementary education from Salve Regina University, and then a master鈥檚 degree in education from the University of Connecticut.

Dr. Barbara Malkas, Doctor of Public Service
Dr. Barbara Malkas, North Adams Public Schools superintendent, is retiring in June after serving as an educator for more than 38 years in the roles of science teacher, school administrator, district administrator, deputy superintendent, and superintendent. In each of her districts and roles, she has strived to improve the quality of education for all students, particularly those representing underserved populations. Her own experiences in education contribute to her belief that education is the key to lifelong satisfaction and meaning.鈥�
 
Dr. Malkas holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in chemistry from St. Joseph鈥檚 College in Brooklyn, a master鈥檚 degree in science education from St. John鈥檚 University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the Sage Colleges of Albany. In 2021, she completed her 200-hour certification as a Breathe for Change Facilitator and Yoga Teacher, and completed an additional 300-hour training for her CYT-500 certification in the spring of 2023.
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Dr. Malkas serves as past president of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, president of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, and treasurer of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition. She was identified as the Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year in 2024 and was recently awarded the North Adams Women鈥檚 History Month Hall of Fame Women of Distinction Award for 2025 and the Women in Educational Leadership Network鈥檚 2025 Bobbie D鈥橝lessandro Leadership Award. 

Dennis Powell, Doctor of Public Service
Dennis Lee Powell was born and raised in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1963. He is the proud father of five and grandfather of four.

Powell is a community activist and has served as president of the NAACP Berkshire County Branch since 2015. He also co-chairs the branch鈥檚 Freedom Fund Committee, is an Executive Committee member of the NAACP New England Area Conference and serves on its Education Committee. Powell serves on the Pittsfield Licensing Board, the Pittsfield 4 Freedoms Coalition, the Greylock Community Development Advisory Board, and the Railroad Street Youth Project Board. He is a past member of the Pittsfield School Committee, the Steering Committee of the W.E.B. Du Bois Educational Series, and served as vice chair and chair of the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Freedom and Democracy.

Powell is a veteran of the United States Army, having completed his tour of duty in 1966. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in 1968 and worked in New York City at Hilton Hotel Properties. In 1972, he returned to the CIA and held positions as instructor and administrator there from 1972 to 1986. In 1973, Powell received the Culinary Teachers Association Recognition Award. In 1977, his culinary team took first place, winning five gold medals, at the Salon Culinaire Mondial in Basel, Switzerland, and the Diploma of Honor from the Soci茅t茅 Culinaire Philanthropique. In the 1990s, he received the Berkshire Center for Family and Children's Outstanding Volunteer Award and was named by the South Advocate as Pittsfield鈥檚 MVP (Most Valuable Person). In 2018, Berkshire Magazine recognized Powell as one of its 鈥淏erkshire 25,鈥� which is bestowed on the 鈥淢ost Dedicated, Most Creative, Most Influential鈥� people. In 2020, he received the Black Excellence on the Hill Award from the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus and was featured in The Berkshire Eagle's Executive Spotlight Series. In 2021, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires.

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About 91爱豆传媒   
At 91爱豆传媒, we鈥檙e here for all 鈥� and focused on each 鈥� of our students. Classes are taught by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive on every level of their lives. In every way possible, the experience at 91爱豆传媒 is designed to elevate our students as individuals, leaders, and communicators, fully empowered to make their impressions on the world. In addition to our 130-year commitment to public education, we have fortified our dedication to equitable academic excellence. 91爱豆传媒 has appeared on U.S. News & World Report鈥檚 list of Top Ten Public Colleges for 10 consecutive years, earning the No. 6 spot on the list of Top Public Liberal Arts Schools in the nation for 2025, after earning the No. 7 spot the prior three years. The College鈥檚 focus on affordable education and economic prosperity is reflected in additional 2025 U.S. News rankings: No. 5 for Top Performer on Social Mobility for liberal arts colleges in the state and No. 2 for Top Performer on Social Mobility for public liberal arts colleges in the country. These rankings measure how well schools graduate students who receive Federal Pell Grants. Learn more at www.mcla.edu.