I am pleased to announce our 2015 Commencement speaker, Dr. Robert McCann ‘80, and Baccalaureate speaker, the Rev. Dr. Juan Antonio Rodriguez ‘79.
A graduate in economics from Bethany, Dr. McCann is CEO of UBS Group Americas and is a member of UBS Group Executive Board. Prior to joining UBS, he worked for 26 years for Merrill Lynch, holding a variety of positions within the company. He strives to promote economic recovery and boost small businesses, doing so by implementing firm initiatives. Dr. McCann is also known for giving back to his alma mater, most recently by sponsoring a trip to New York City’s financial community for Bethany student leaders. He and his wife Cindy also established the McCann Learning Center and the McCann Family Student Investment Fund, the latter providing students with opportunities to enrich their learning skills and manage investments in real-world financial markets, utilizing actual dollars and investments.
The Rev. Dr. Rodriguez, born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City, comes from a heritage of family ministry; his grandfather and father were both lay Disciples preachers in Puerto Rico and New York. For the past 30 years, Dr. Rodriguez has been the organizing Pastor of Iglesia del Pueblo-Hope Center in Hammond, Indiana. He has also served as pastor for First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Hammond, has received pastoral psychotherapy training, and has taught as an adjunct professor for Field Education at McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, from which he holds the degrees of Doctor of Ministry and Master of Divinity.
