Spring '18 Commencement
JOHNSON CITY (April 27, 2018) — More than 2,000 students are expected to graduate from East Tennessee State University during spring commencement exercises, which will be held Saturday, May 5, in the ETSU/Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Center (the Minidome).
David A. Golden will be the speaker during the 10 a.m. ceremony, and Dr. Harry L. Williams will deliver the 2 p.m. address.
Golden is senior vice president, chief legal and sustainability officer and corporate secretary for Eastman. He has responsibility for Eastman’s Legal, Sustainability, Corporate HSES and Global Public Affairs and Policy departments, which have personnel in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. He also has overall responsibility for Eastman’s Ethics and Corporate Compliance program.
Golden is a native of Albany, Georgia. He holds a B.S. degree in accounting from Brigham Young University (BYU) and a J.D. degree, also from BYU, graduating magna cum laude and Order of the Coif and serving on the management committee of the BYU Law Review. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2012.
Golden joined Eastman in 1995 as an attorney and has held positions of increasing responsibility, including serving as the company’s director of Internal Audit and vice president and assistant general counsel in charge of the company’s Commercial and International Law groups. He assumed his current role in January 2013. Prior to joining Eastman, he worked in the Atlanta office of a large, international law firm.
Golden serves on the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) Board and the ETSU Board of Trustees. He is president of the Eastman Foundation and is deeply involved in community and civic affairs, leading the company’s global corporate charitable partnership activities. He is a frequent public speaker on leadership, motivation and other topics, and his public service includes membership on numerous other boards and commissions.
Golden and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Kingsport and have six children.
Williams made history when he became the first sitting university president to serve as president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF).
During his eight-year tenure leading Delaware State University (DSU), Williams increased student enrollment every year and developed partnerships with government and private organizations that resulted in several multimillion-dollar grants and investments into the campus.
Under his leadership, DSU successfully completed its five-year, $20 million Greater Than One Campaign for Students, the most successful fundraising campaign in the institution’s history. Funds raised were used for scholarships, strengthening DSU’s endowment, and other student success initiatives.
Williams’ extensive leadership in the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and higher education spheres earned him the National TRIO Achiever Award and the TMCF Education Leadership Award. In addition, HBCU Digest named him one of the “Top 10 Influential HBCU Presidents” in the country. He has served in senior positions at the University of North Carolina General Administration, Appalachian State University and North Carolina A&T State University. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
A native of Greenville, North Carolina, Williams holds a B.S. in communication broadcasting and an M.A. in educational media, both from Appalachian State, as well as an Ed.D. in educational leadership and policy analysis from ETSU. He is married to Dr. Robin S. Williams and the father of two sons.
Complete information on commencement for graduating students and the public is available online at http://www.etsu.edu/reg/graduation/ceremony.php.
Individuals participating in or attending the 10 a.m. ceremony are advised to avoid State of Franklin Road in downtown Johnson City between E. Main Street and Watauga Avenue, because this major artery and parts of the historic Tree Streets district will be closed for a road race.