LIM College Names Global Advocate for Women as 2019 Commencement Keynote

LIM College named Lauren C. Anderson its keynote address speaker and said the noted women’s advocate will receive the college’s “Distinguished Achievement Award” during its 80th commencement exercises, which will be held on May 24 at 10 a.m. at David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center in Manhattan.

The school said in a statement that Anderson will also receive “an honorary doctor of humane letters degree in recognition of her notable contributions to global gender equality.”

LIM College president Elizabeth S. Marcuse described Anderson as “a true role model who has devoted her career to making the world a better and safer place. I am confident that she will motivate and inspire our graduates.” The college also positioned Anderson a “changemaker” for women as well as youth.

“After 29 years with the FBI, she now uses her geopolitical and international security expertise to work with women leaders and young people throughout the globe to prevent conflict, advocate for social justice, and challenge economic inequalities,” said an LIM College spokeswoman.

At the FBI, Anderson was one of the first women on an FBI SWAT team. She was also the first to lead the agency’s bureau office in Paris, “where she led the FBI’s engagement in 24 countries,” the college said in a statement adding that Anderson later directed “all international terrorism investigations of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, overseeing the disruption of terrorist plots around the world.”

Anderson mentors women in India, the Philippines, Gaza, Somalia and Egypt as a global ambassador with the Vital Voices Global Partnership. “She also works closely with several additional international nonprofit organizations that advocate for women and youth in areas that include diversity, sustainable business development, criminal justice reform and personal safety,” the spokeswoman said.

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