Curry College Announces Commencement Speaker

From Curry College: Social Entrepreneur Navyn Salem will serve as the Commencement Speaker and be awarded an honorary degree during Curry College Commencement Exercises on May 20, 2018.

As a social entrepreneur, Navyn has the goal of ending childhood malnutrition. Her mission began in 2007 after she went on a trip to Africa. More than a decade later, she has made an extraordinary difference in her father’s homeland of Tanzania, and dozens of other developing countries.

“Navyn’s story is a remarkable one of service and achievement that is both inspiring and an example for all of us. I am delighted she will be able to share her story with the Class of 2018," said Curry College President Kenneth K. Quigley, Jr.

Navyn Salem is the founder and CEO of Edesia, a non-profit organization that manufactures specialized ready-to-use foods (RUFs) for malnourished children. Edesia, named for the Roman goddess of food, produces several fortified, peanut-based products, including Plumpy’Nut, in its state-of-the-art factory in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Each year, Edesia produces millions of "miracle packets" that are delivered into the hands of malnourished children all over the world by humanitarian aid workers with USAID, UNICEF, and the World Food Programme. Since 2010, Edesia has made enough lifesaving food to reach more than 6 million children in 50 countries, and is poised to reach over 1.5 million malnourished children each year.

During the Commencement Exercises, the College will also award an honorary degree to Hon. Anthony M. Campo, '79. Campo, an Associate Justice of the Superior Court in Massachusetts, is a Curry College alumnus and trustee.

Campo, who grew up in Cambridge, studied hard and excelled in the classroom and as a student-athlete at Curry College, where he met his wife Diane Morrissey Campo, an alumna from the first Nursing class of 1981.

Prior to his judgeship, Campo served as the Managing Partner of Boyle, Shaughnessy & Campo, P.C., a firm of which he was a founding partner and which has grown to 65 attorneys practicing in seven states. He received his juris doctor degree from New England School of Law, and graduated from Curry with a Bachelor of Arts.

“Tony has worked tirelessly to be successful in all his endeavors. After he graduated from Curry, he attended law school during the night while working as an insurance adjuster by day,” said President Quigley. “His accomplishments, service and contributions to society bring honor to our College and validate our mission.”

Campo, a longtime supporter of the College, has been a member of the Curry College Board since 2005, and had served as board chair from May 2010 until he stepped down in May 2017 upon being appointed to the Superior Court bench.

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