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United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will address the Boston College Class of 2011 at the 135th Commencement Exercises on May 23.
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, will present LaHood with an honorary Doctor of Public Administration degree at the ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m. in Alumni Stadium (In the event of severe weather, Conte Forum will be the location).
In addition, Boston College will present honorary degrees to: New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. Chairman James S. Davis and Vice Chairman Anne M. Davis — who is managing trustee of the New Balance Charitable Foundation (Doctor of Business Administration); Senior Vice President James P. McIntyre ’57, MA ’61, PhD ’67 (Doctor of Science in Education); and Trustee Associate Sylvia Q. Simmons MEd’62, PhD’90 (Doctor of Humane Letters).
Ray LaHood was named the 16th US secretary of transportation by President Barack Obama on Jan. 23, 2009, heading an agency with more than 55,000 employees and a $70 billion budget that oversees air, maritime and surface transportation missions.
During his term, LaHood has led the federal government's efforts to combat distracted driving, asking Americans to put down mobile phones and devices while behind the wheel. LaHood has also launched initiatives to build a national high-speed passenger rail network, strengthen commercial bus and driver safety, and protect airline consumers. Earlier this month, he announced a safety campaign to overhaul and upgrade America's oil and gas pipeline network and make more information available about potential hazards. He provides daily Department of Transportation news and updates through his Fast Lane blog.
A native of Peoria, Ill., graduate of Bradley University and one-time junior high school teacher, LaHood was a seven-term Republican congressman from 1995-2009, serving on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and House Appropriations Committee. He was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership and organized bipartisan retreats for members of Congress.
Anne M. Davis, vice chairman of New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. and managing trustee of the New Balance Charitable Foundation, is the architect and guardian of a corporate culture and value system that is a model for industries worldwide.
In her business role as the officer responsible for the recruitment, training, compensation, benefits administration and corporate policy for business operations in over 70 countries, she has helped guide the company through periods of double-digit growth. Her innovative and progressive management techniques — which feature manufacturing teams, employee involvement and cross-functional management teams — have produced one of the industry’s most highly motivated and goal-oriented work forces. As overseer of New Balance’s social responsibility program, corporate contributions and community service functions, she has been an integral factor in the company’s widely acknowledged leadership in philanthropic pursuits.
Davis is a graduate of Boston’s Emmanuel College where she majored in languages. She and her husband James – also receiving an honorary degree from BC this year – are the parents of two children, including daughter Kassia who graduated from BC in 2010.
Few business entrepreneurs have done as much to encourage healthy lifestyles for Americans as James S. Davis, chairman of New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc., a Boston-based footwear and athletic apparel manufacturer.
Davis bought the firm on Boston Marathon day in 1972 when the company’s six-person work force was turning out just 30 pairs of running shoes a day. Since that time, New Balance has developed into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of running gear, with $2 billion in sales projected for 2011, and is the largest private company in the sporting goods industry. Once located in a small facility in the Allston section of Boston, the company now includes five US plants — two in Massachusetts and three in Maine — and more than 5,000 employees around the globe.
In addition, Davis has made great strides in the race to improve the well being of all American citizens, especially children. New Balance has joined First Lady Michelle Obama in her efforts to end childhood obesity and to promote healthy lifestyles for children and families, and earlier this year, the foundation made a $7 million gift to Boston’s Children’s Hospital to establish the New Balance Foundation Center for Childhood Obesity Prevention, Clinical Research and Care.
During a career spanning more than a half-century, Boston College Senior Vice President James P. McIntyre has played a unique role in the advancement of Boston College from a commuter school to a preeminent national university.
McIntyre received his undergraduate degree from BC in 1957 after attending classes at night. After a stint in the Army, McIntyre returned in 1959 to work in the admissions office and earn his master’s degree and a PhD in higher education and administration.
In 1968, he became BC’s first lay vice president of student affairs. In 1976, he was named vice president for university relations, overseeing the Alumni Association, Communications and Development offices. In 1986, he was named senior vice president. His 43 consecutive years of service as vice president are unmatched in Jesuit higher education.
There are few areas of the University that do not bear the imprint of McIntyre’s dedication. He helped to establish BC’s financial aid program, direct its first major capital campaign and host two acclaimed finance conferences. The Newton Campus, the Flynn Recreation Complex, O’Neill Library, Conte Forum, the renovated Alumni Stadium, Merkert Chemistry Center — as well as several of the University’s largest donations — all involved his efforts, helping to earn him the label of “BC’s troubleshooter” and, as one newspaper headline called him, “Mr. BC.”
McIntyre met Monica Flatley while working in the admissions office and they married in 1962. All six of their children – James Jr., Peter, David, Mary, Karalyn and Ann – are graduates of Boston College.
Sylvia Q. Simmons, whose life work has been dedicated to education and ensuring access to education for the underserved, is the retired president of the American Student Assistance Corporation, an organization that insures and administers educational loans and supports college access services. She also is a co-founder of the Higher Education Information Center, now serving as a model nationwide.
In 1966, Simmons was named registrar of the BC School of Management, becoming the University’s first female African-American administrator. Her affiliation with the University includes service as a trustee (1990-98), trustee associate (1998-present) and founding member of the Council for Women of Boston College. In 1998, the Sylvia Q. Simmons MEd ’62, PhD ’90 Scholarship Fund was established to provide financial assistance for African-American students.
Simmons’ service in higher education has included senior administration positions at Harvard and Radcliffe colleges, the University of Massachusetts, and more recently, the Public and Private Higher Education subcommittee of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s Commonwealth Readiness Project, for which a group of educators and business and community leaders were charged with developing a 10-year strategic plan for the future of education in Massachusetts.
For information see the Commencement website.