Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:
The School of Professional Studies Graduation is almost one month away, on May 16. As we have in the past, the School will hold both morning and afternoon ceremonies so that our graduates and their loved ones may experience this milestone more intimately and comfortably. I am thrilled to announce two distinguished faculty members and two exceptional students who will speak at those ceremonies.
The faculty speaker for our morning ceremony will be Sim Segal, who has led the M.S. in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program as its founder and director since 2014. A globally recognized enterprise risk management thought leader, Segal’s pioneering value-based ERM approach has shaped industry and regulatory practices worldwide. He is the president and founder of SimErgy, an ERM consulting firm, and author of the influential Corporate Value of Enterprise Risk Management, a required text on the syllabi of the Society of Actuaries and top universities globally. His industry insights have also been featured in prominent publications such as Forbes, American Banker, and Corporate Finance Review.
Our faculty speaker for the afternoon ceremony will be Basil Smikle Jr., Ph.D., who joined the School last year as a professor of practice and director of the M.S. in Nonprofit Management program. His accolades include citations from the New York State governor and comptroller and a proclamation from the New York City Council for his commitment to public service and education equity. Prior to his role at Columbia, Smikle was a distinguished lecturer at and director of the Public Policy Program at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. Smikle holds a Ph.D. in Politics and Education and an M.P.A. from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University.
For our student speakers, the SPS faculty, staff, and students nominate two members of the graduating class each year as representatives. Our student speakers have the privilege of addressing their fellow graduates, reflecting upon their Columbia experience and sharing words of advice.
The student speaker for our morning ceremony will be Eleanore Lee Teo (’25SPS, Executive M.S. in Strategic Communication), and Lelani Pacific-Jack (anticipated ’25SPS, M.S. in Technology Management) will be the speaker for our afternoon ceremony.
Teo served as the senior lead for community and digital engagement within the Strategic Communication Society at Columbia, where she helped develop the Go-To-Market Accelerator Program, offering students the opportunity to work with local start-ups on branding strategies and campaigns. She was also part of the team that won Organization of the Year at the 2024 SPS Excellence Awards. Teo serves as the director for marketing and operations at the Caylum Trading Institute, a financial firm that specializes in global equities and markets based in Manila. She is also the author of Raising Heirs, a lecturer for the Communication Management and Entrepreneurship program at Ateneo de Manila University, and a proud mother of two.
Pacific-Jack is a Technology Management student, a native New Yorker, and a Columbia SPS CUNY Fellow. Leveraging her Baruch College education and international-relations background, she bridges global policy with human-centered tech innovation. Pacific-Jack blends her diplomatic insight with technical expertise as a Google Product Equity and Inclusion Scholar and a Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Fellow. She developed frameworks for accessible technology at Google’s Build for Everyone Summit, and her fellowship immersed her in policy discussions with senior leaders. At Columbia, she is head of events for the Technology in Business Association and mentors future Columbia SPS CUNY Fellows. Pacific-Jack’s close family ties inspire her vision of using technology to solve problems while celebrating our shared humanity.
Thank you to all who have already committed to volunteering during our Graduation and Commencement activities. We encourage faculty to join the academic procession as marshals, and staff and faculty to volunteer as event hosts, to help create a memorable experience for our returning alumni. While SPS Graduation volunteer sign-up has closed, Commencement volunteers are still needed. You may sign up here.
Best of luck to all our students as you complete your assignments this semester. You’re almost at the finish line!
Sincerely,
Troy
