Saint Leo University To Award Nearly 500 Degrees On May 18

HAMPTON – Saint Leo University will welcome the director of Interpol Washington, Wayne Salzgaber, as its commencement speaker for its ceremony on Saturday, May 18. The university will confer degrees to nearly 500 students during the event, which begins at 10 a.m. at the Hampton University Convocation Center, 700 Emancipation Drive, Hampton, VA 23668.

The graduates study at eight Saint Leo campuses in Virginia and online. About 150 students will earn their master’s degrees while 260 will receive their bachelor’s degrees and close to 60 will earn their associate degrees. Most earning master’s degrees will receive the Master of Business Administration degree. Among the undergraduate degrees, the Bachelor of Arts in business administration with a specialization in management is the most popular.

Salzgaber holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Saint Leo University from which he graduated magna cum laude in 2000. He began his appointment as director of Interpol Washington, the U.S. National Central Bureau, in June 2018 after serving in the positions of deputy director and acting director since 2015.

The United States has been a member of Interpol, which is an abbreviation of the International Criminal Police Organization, since 1947. Salzgaber leads the U.S. government’s efforts to coordinate and promote cooperation among the police agencies of Interpol’s 194 member nations, which are working to combat transnational crime and terrorism. He is serving at Interpol Washington on detail from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he has worked since its creation in 2003.

Representing the Class of 2019 at Saint Leo’s commencement is Travis Cox, who studies at the South Hampton Roads Education Center. Cox is graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and holds the highest GPA among his peers. Other student representatives for the Class of 2019 are Tina Hernandez representing Fort Lee and John V. Thompson representing the Virginia Peninsula area. Hernandez and Thompson also are graduating summa cum laude with Hernandez earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration-management and Thompson earning a Bachelor of Science degree in computer information systems.

Leading the new graduates in the traditional turning of their tassels and welcoming them as alumni will be Gary Gustafson, of the Class of 2007. Gustafson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. He retired as a master sergeant with the U.S. Marine Corps. When Gustafson graduated, he was stationed in Afghanistan and participated in the Virginia commencement ceremony via video teleconferencing. His family and children were in attendance to watch the ceremony on the large screen.

Saint Leo University teaches at the following Virginia locations:

Chesapeake Education Center, 1434 Crossways Blvd., Suite 175, Chesapeake, VA 23320;

Fort Eustis Education Center, 1500 Madison Ave., U.S. Army Education Center, Fort Eustis, VA 23604;

Langley Education Center, 450 Weyland Road, Langley AFB, VA 23665;

Newport News Education Center, One BayPort Way, Suite 160, Newport News, VA 23606;

South Hampton Roads Education Center at JEB-Little Creek, 1481 D. St., Building 3016, Virginia Beach, VA 23459;

Norfolk Education Center, Naval Station Norfolk, 1680 Gilbert St., Building E, Suite 101, Norfolk, VA 23511; and,

Oceana Education Center, Naval Air Station Oceana, 902 E. Ave., Building 531 Virginia Beach, VA 23460.

Fort Lee Education Center, 700 Quarters Road, Fort Lee, VA 23801.