Author and The Huffington Post co-founder and editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington (pictured, above left) and Oscar-winning actor and gender-equity advocate Geena Davis (pictured, above right) headline the 2008 USC Annenberg Commencement ceremonies on May 16.
Huffington will speak at the Journalism Satellite Ceremony held in USC's Argue Plaza and Davis will speak at the Communication Satellite Ceremony held in USC's McCarthy Quad. Both ceremonies begin at 10:30 a.m. — after the main University activities conclude. The University-wide ceremony starts at 8:30 with a recommended arrival time of 7 a.m. or earlier.
Huffington is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of 12 books. She is also co-host of “Left, Right & Center,” public radio’s popular political roundtable program. In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that has quickly become one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. In 2006, she was named to the Time 100, Time Magazine's list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
Davis is an Academy Award and Golden Globe winning actor, world-class athlete (at one time the nation’s 13th-ranked archer), skilled musician, and successful film producer. As a passionate supporter of girls and women, Geena has founded The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, focused on dramatically increasing the percentage of female characters – and reducing gender stereotyping – in movies, TV and other media aimed at children 11 and under.
Robert A. Iger will be the Commencement speaker for the University ceremony.
