Quinnipiac University announces 2024 Commencement Speakers

Press release

HAMDEN, Conn.– Quinnipiac University will hold six Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2024 from May 10-12 at M&T Bank Arena and the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.

On Friday, May 10, at 1 p.m., Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, will speak to Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine graduates at M&T Bank Arena on the York Hill Campus.

Juthani became the first Indian American to serve as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health upon her appointment in 2021. She came to Connecticut in 2002 to serve as an infectious diseases fellow at the Yale School of Medicine and eventually served as director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program from 2012-21.

She also took on the role of associate program director for career development in the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Yale from 2017-21, and she remains a professor of medicine at the university. Her groundbreaking work in the study and treatment of infectious diseases saw her emerge as one of the state’s leading voices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, Juthani has championed a number of public health causes in her post as DPH commissioner, including the opioid crisis, lead abatement, gun violence, maternal health and mental health. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her medical degree from the Weill Cornell Medical College.

At 5 p.m., Arunan Arulampalam, mayor of the city of Hartford, will address graduates from the School of Law at M&T Bank Arena.

Arulampalam, a 2014 graduate of QU’s School of Law, was sworn in as the 68th mayor of Hartford on Jan. 1 and immediately went to work on energizing the city he’s called home for a decade.

A native of Zimbabwe born to Sri Lankan refugees, Arulampalam worked as an attorney at the Hartford-based firm of Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C., before embarking on a career in public service. He went on to serve as CEO of the Hartford Land Bank, where he developed a first-of-its-kind program designed to rejuvenate blighted properties by turning residents into developers.

Prior to his election, Arulampalam served in the Lamont Administration as deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. He lives in the Frog Hollow neighborhood of Hartford in a formerly blighted house with his wife, Liza, and their five small children.

The School of Business and School of Computing and Engineering undergraduate and graduate Commencement is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad. Adele Merritt, Intelligence Community chief information officer, will be the guest speaker.

Merritt has over 20 years of demonstrated technical, analytic and policy expertise in support of cyber and national security operations. She currently serves with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Before rejoining government, she worked at multiple startups focused on cybersecurity and a nonprofit focused on advancing innovation and collaboration through partnerships with industry, academia and government.

Merritt’s technical leadership has been recognized with multiple industry awards, including two annual FedScoop50 awards for positive impact in public service. Merritt was a National Security Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and holds a PhD in mathematics from the University of Rhode Island and a BBA in finance from Pace University.


At 3 p.m., Jon-Paul Venoit, president and CEO of Masonicare, will address graduates during the School of Health Sciences undergraduate and graduate Commencement on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.

Venoit began his career at 16 working in dining services at Masonicare. Thirty years later, he stands at the head of the largest not-for-profit senior care company in Connecticut. Venoit has been recognized as a distinguished leader for guiding the organization through a global pandemic to achieve one of the most successful years of operation in Masonicare history.
Venoit is also a valued partner of Quinnipiac University. He continues to be instrumental in creating unique learning opportunities for students, including the establishment of the transformative Quinnipiac-Masonicare students-in-residence partnership with the School of Health Sciences.
Active within the community, he also serves as vice chair of the Wallingford Planning and Zoning Commission and commissioner of the Wallingford Ethics Committee. He is a former chair of the Wallingford Education Foundation and former chair of the Connecticut Assisted Living Association Board and its Institute for Senior Living Education.
On Sunday, May 12, at 10 a.m., casting director Jazzy Collins will speak at the undergraduate and graduate Commencement of the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Communications on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.
Collins is a 2014 graduate of the QU School of Communications, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in film, television and media arts.
An accomplished casting director, Collins made history in 2024 when she became the first Black person to win the Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program for her work on “The Traitors,” which streams on Peacock. She also was nominated for an Emmy in 2022 for “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” on Amazon Prime.
Collins has been at the forefront of the movement calling for diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry. She has been published in Deadline, E! News, ET Canada, Women’s Health and beyond. Forced Perspective, the production company she runs with her husband and fellow Bobcat Shane Collins, produces content highlighting underrepresented directors and actors.
At 3 p.m., Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Education, will address the School of Nursing and School of Education undergraduates and graduates on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.

Russell-Tucker was appointed by Gov. Ned Lamont as commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Education in August 2021, after serving as acting commissioner.

Prior to becoming acting commissioner, Russell-Tucker served as deputy commissioner managing educational supports and wellness priorities. She’s also testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions about “Supporting Students and Schools: Promising Practices to Get Back on Track” in June 2022 and “Why Are So Many American Youth in a Mental Health Crisis? Exploring Courses and Solutions” in June 2023.

In 2015, Russell-Tucker was named to the inaugural class of “100 Women of Color” in Connecticut. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Joseph and a master’s degree from Albertus Magnus College. Russell-Tucker also serves on the Board of Trustees at the University of Connecticut.