Sam Houston State University has just recently announced the three distinguished alumni that will be speaking during the 2022 December Commencement Ceremonies in the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. There will be two ceremonies on Friday, December 9th, as well as two ceremonies on Saturday, December 10th. Graduates, as well as their friends and family, can look forward to hearing speeches from one of the following: Troy Finner, Shelley Dacus, or Morgan Chesky.

Troy Finner will be the first speaker whose voice and words of wisdom will fill the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. Finner, who graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1998, will address the December 9th graduates from the College of Criminal Justice as well as Psychology and Philosophy students from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. In 2021, Troy Finner was named as the new Chief of Police for the Houston Police Department which oversees the fourth largest city in the United States. As stated in his profile per the Houston Police Department, “He is especially committed and dedicated to youth mentoring programs that aid in bridging the gaps in trust and communication with the police”. Finner is also a 2022 Sam Houston State University Distinguished Alumni as well as a lifetime member of the school’s Alumni Association.

Shelley Dacus, who graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2002, will give a motivational speech to the December 9th graduates from both the College of Business Administration as well as the remaining graduates from the Collge of Humanities and Social Sciences. Dacus is the current Chief Executive Officer as well as the Regional President for the First Financial Bank of North America. With her experience of nearly two decades in baking, she is sure to bring wise words to the graduates.

Finally, on December 10th, the 2008 Sam Houston State University graduate Morgan Chesky will address the two final commencement ceremonies of the Fall of 2022. He will address the graduates from the College of Arts and Media, the College of Education, the College of Health Sciences as well as the College of Sciences and Engineering Technology. Chesky is apart of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) news team and can be seen reporting on all of their platforms such as The Today Show and NBC Nightly News.

There is much to look forward to as these three accomplished alumni of Sam Houston State University help to guide the future graduates. Congratulations to the Class of 2022!