Bhavana Boggs, a member of the Class of 1991, and R. Seth Williams, district attorney of Philadelphia, will address the Class of 2014 during commencement May 17.
"I had the privilege of hearing Seth Williams speak when he came to the Law School during my 1L (first) year. It is an honor to have a distinguished legal practitioner like him addressing our class again," said Student Bar Association President Jason Samuel, a U.S. Marine who will enter the JAG Corps after commencement.
About Bhavana Boggs
Boggs is vice president and assistant general counsel of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC, a subsidiary of Marriott International. The company earned $12 billion in revenues last year, has 325,000 employees worldwide, and managed and franchised 3,800 lodging properties in 74 countries and territories. In her current role, her key areas of focus are managing the long-term agreements with owners of The Ritz-Carlton’s assets, general operations and compliance, and protecting and advancing the Ritz-Carlton brand.
Boggs began her career as a labor and employment lawyer, and was part of Reed Smith’s labor and employment practice in Washington, D.C., before moving to Marriott. Boggs studied international affairs as an undergraduate student at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa.
About Seth Williams
Williams is district attorney of the City of Philadelphia, where he oversees 600 lawyers, detectives and support staff, and is responsible for prosecution of more than 75,000 criminal cases annually. In 2011 he received the prestigious Penn State Alumni Fellow Award.
Williams graduated from Penn State, where he was president of the Black Caucus and then president of the Undergraduate Student Government, representing all 57,000 undergraduate students. Williams then attended Georgetown University’s School of Law where he graduated with distinction as a Public Interest Scholar in 1992. After graduation, Williams returned home to Philadelphia to continue his service to the public in the city’s district attorney’s office. Williams spent 10 years as an assistant D.A. He created and led the Repeat Offenders Unit aimed at reducing the high percentage of crimes committed by repeat offenders. In 2009, he became the first African-American district attorney in Pennsylvania.
Commencement Details
Separate commencement ceremonies will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 17, in Eisenhower Auditorium (University Park) and Lewis Katz Hall (Carlisle), each lasting about 90 minutes. Following the ceremony, each location will host a reception for graduates, their families and guests. Additional information is available online.