Commencement 2010 - Capella University

Commencement Speaker—Salome Thomas-EL
Salome Thomas-EL
Salome Thomas-EL is a world-renowned educator,
motivator, and author. In his highly-acclaimed memoir,
I Choose to Stay, he chronicled his experiences teaching
in a Philadelphia inner city middle school, where he
received national recognition as a teacher and chess
coach. Thomas-EL received the Marcus A. Foster
Award as the outstanding School District Administrator
in Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania’s
distinguished Martin Luther King Award.
Thomas-EL is a graduate of East Stroudsburg University
in Pennsylvania. He is currently a doctoral candidate. He
frequently appears on The Dr. Oz Show, The O’Reilly
Factor, C-SPAN, The Tavis Smiley Show, CNN, and
National Public Radio.
Grand Marshal—Bruce Fischer, PhD
Bruce Fischer is a founding faculty member of Capella University, served as
the Dean of Capella’s School of Human Services as well as the chair of the
Addiction Psychology program, and currently serves as a core faculty member in
the Harold Abel School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Fischer earned a
master’s degree in Speech Communication and a PhD in Family Social Science
at the University of Minnesota. He holds certificates in Chemical Dependency
Counseling, Family Therapy and Addiction Counseling, and Chemical
Dependency and Family Intimacy. He is also a licensed psychologist, a licensed
marriage and family therapist, and has been in private practice for 34 years.
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