Jill Biden to Speak at CPCC Graduation

Central Piedmont Community College says Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, will speak at this year's commencement.

She is a full-time professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College and has been an advocate for the critical role community colleges play in developing the nation's work force.

"Biden will speak directly to our graduates' hopes and aspirations and the challenges they have faced along the way," says CPCC President Tony Zeiss. "She will know our students well because she has taught so many community college students in her career as an educator."

The Charlotte school's graduation ceremonies are scheduled for 4 p.m. May 14 at Bojangles' Coliseum. CPCC anticipates as many as 1,800 students will graduate in May. Of those, about 800 will participate in the ceremony.

Zeiss and Biden both spoke at a conference in Switzerland last fall. At the time, they discussed the possibility of her being a commencement speaker at CPCC.

Biden has been an educator for more than three decades, and she has described community colleges as "one of America's best-kept secrets."

In 2012, she traveled across the country as part of the "Community College to Career" tour that focused on successful industry partnerships between community college and employers.

She hosted the first White House Summit on community colleges and frequently visits campuses and meets with students, teachers and industry representatives around the country.

Biden also works to bring attention to the sacrifices made by military families and to raise awareness around areas of particular importance to women, including breast cancer prevention.

Jennifer Thomas
Staff Writer-Charlotte Business Journal

Posted in Alumni, Announcements, Events.