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Former U.S. Senatorial Candidate and City Year Founder Alan Khazei to Speak at Massachusetts Bay Community College Commencement

Thursday, May 27, 2010

WELLESLEY HILLS, MA (May 27, 2010) - City Year Founder and former U.S. Senatorial Candidate Alan Khazei will be the commencement speaker at the Massachusetts Bay Community College’s (MassBay) May 27th Commencement in Wellesley Hills, MA.

Khazei recently ran for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Senator Edward Kennedy. Khazei is the co-founder of City Year and the founder of Be the Change, Inc., two innovative nonprofits. In 2006, US News and World Report named Khazei one of America's 25 Best Leaders and the Boston Globe Magazine identified him as one of 11 Bostonians Changing the World.

Upon graduating from Harvard Law School in 1988, Khazei and his law school roommate Michael Brown started City Year as a youth service corps engaging 50 young people in Boston. Today, City Year is a global organization operating in 19 cities in America and in Johannesburg, South Africa. As the organization expanded to other cities, Khazei was appointed to the Corporation for National and Community Service by President George H.W. Bush, serving as a Vice-Chair from 1990-1992.

“We are delighted that Alan Khazei is our Commencement speaker this year. His life’s work has encouraged people around the world to embrace and encourage the culture of global citizenship and service learning. His social vision matches that of our own, as we strive to instill the same values within our students here on campus through our service learning curriculum, study abroad opportunities, and our collaborative approach to education,” says Dr. Carole M. Berotte Joseph, President of MassBay.

A Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Gail Snowden, who most recently was the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Finance and Operations at the Boston Foundation from 2004-2007. She is a graduate of Harvard College and earned her MBA at Simmons College. Snowden has received numerous awards and honorary degrees from leading Boston area colleges and universities including Simmons, the University of Massachusetts Boston, Babson College, and several others. She has served as Board Chair and Chair Emeritus of Freedom House.

The community is invited to join with family, friends and alumni to celebrate the 48th annual commencement at 7:00 pm at MassBay’s Wellesley Hills campus, 50 Oakland St., Wellesley Hills, MA 02481.


Massachusetts Bay Community College is an open access, accredited two-year public educational institution. The college grants Associates Degrees and Certificates in a range of disciplines. Offering more than 60 academic programs, MassBay, founded in 1961, serves Boston and the MetroWest communities with campuses in Wellesley Hills, Framingham and an Automotive Technology Center in Ashland.