Harold Ford Jr. to speak at HU commencement

Hampton, VA - Harold Ford Jr. will serve as the keynote speaker at the 139th Annual Hampton University Commencement Exercises on May 10 at 10 a.m. in Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Hampton University.

Ford served Tennessee in the U.S. Congress for 10 years. Ford is now Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, a news analyst for NBC and MSNBC, and a visiting professor of public policy at Vanderbilt University.

During his five terms in Congress, Ford's focus was results. Having served on both the Financial Services and Budget Committees, his passion for free enterprise and balanced budgets and confidence in American ingenuity to overcome any foe bolsters his belief that America's best days are in front of us. The challenge and opportunity to grow America's economy, strengthen our moral stature and standing in the world, make America safer and stronger through a revolution in clean energy technologies, and modernize our military to better be able to fight the enemies of democracy and tolerance around the world continues to inspire his work today. He believes that government is most effective when it's working for the betterment of everyone.

Ford is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he got his B.A. in American history, and the University of Michigan Law School. Ford also serves on the Pentagon's Transformation Advisory Group (TAG), an assembly of current and former military commanders, political figures, academics and business leaders who advise the Pentagon on how to modernize our armed forces to meet and defeat 21st century threats. Ford is also an overseer on the board at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

For more information about HU Commencement Exercises, go to http://commencement.hamptonu.edu.