Regent University Announces Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears as 2025 Commencement Speaker
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (Apr. 3, 2025) – Winsome Earle-Sears, the 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, will be the keynote speaker at Regent University’s 45th Commencement Ceremony on May 10, 2025.
“It is an honor to welcome our distinguished alumna Winsome Earle-Sears back to Regent University to celebrate and encourage our graduating Class of 2025,” said Chancellor Gordon Robertson at Regent University. “Lieutenant Governor Earle-Sears is making an impactful difference in the Commonwealth of Virginia and around the world. Her insightful wisdom and unwavering commitment to her faith will truly be an inspiration to our graduating students.”
Winsome Earle-Sears earned her M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Regent University’s School of Business & Leadership in 2003, was named the Regent University Alumna of the Year in 2022, and was selected as the recipient of the Distinguished Statesman Award from Regent University’s Robertson School of Government in 2023.
As Lieutenant Governor, Winsome Earle-Sears presides over the Senate in legislative sessions, casts the tie-breaking vote, and serves on various state boards and commissions.
Prior to securing the Office of Lieutenant Governor in 2021, Winsome Earle-Sears served her country in the United States Marine Corps from 1983 to 1986. She continued her career of service as Vice President of the Virginia State Board of Education, the presidential appointee to the U.S. Census Bureau, and as Co-Chair of both the African American Committee and the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
“Hearing how Lieutenant Governor Earle-Sears continues to succeed will help commission our graduates into their purpose-filled futures,” said Dr. William L. Hathaway, Regent University Provost. “Her story of courage, resilience, and God’s provision will inspire our graduates with the conviction and the confidence to boldly enter the next chapter of their lives.”
Regent University’s commencement ceremony will take place at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2025, in the library’s outdoor plaza at the Virginia Beach campus. For more information, visit regent.edu/commencement.
Founded in 1977, Regent University is America’s premier Christian university, with more than 13,000 students studying on its 70-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and online around the world. The university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in more than 150 areas of study, including business, communication and the arts, counseling, cybersecurity, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, nursing, healthcare, and psychology. Regent University has been ranked the #1 Best Accredited Online College in the United States (Study.com, 2020), the #1 Safest College Campus in Virginia (YourLocalSecurity, 2021), and the #1 Best Online Bachelor’s Program in Virginia for 13 years in a row (U.S. News & World Report, 2025).
To support the Royals Rise capital campaign for campus expansion, visit www.regent.edu/royalsrise.
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