LaChanze, Tony Award-Winning Actor, to Address Pace University’s 2024 Commencement

Chief Judge of The New York State Court of Appeals Honorable Rowan D. Wilson and Former President of DC Comics Paul Levitz to receive honorary degrees

For the third year, Pace will hold a combined ceremony for graduates of its three campuses at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens

Tony Award-winning actor LaChanze will address Pace University’s Commencement 2024 and will receive an honorary doctorate, Pace University announced today.

Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, the Honorable Rowan D. Wilson will address the Elisabeth Haub School of Law graduating class. In addition, Former President of DC Comics Paul Levitz, and President of The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens, David L. Reich, MD, will also be recognized at commencement.

The university’s commencement will be held on May 20, 2024, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. This year’s commencement marks the third consecutive year that Pace will hold a combined ceremony for graduates of its campuses in New York City and Pleasantville, N.Y., and its Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains, N.Y. The university will honor the entire Class of 2024 at its main ceremony, highlighted by LaChanze’s remarks, and graduating students will cross the stage at their individual school and college ceremonies.

At Commencement each year, Pace also honors community members who exemplify the Pace motto of Opportunitas. This year’s Opportunitas in Action Award-winners are Angella and Danroy Henry, parents of former Pace student Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr. and founders of the DJ Henry Dream Fund.

Angella Henry is the co-founder of the DJ Henry Dream Fund and has been the executive director for over 10 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communication disorders and special education from Bridgewater State University. Angella worked in the school system as a special education teacher and speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) for several years. She now devotes her time to the DJ Henry Dream Fund, ensuring thousands of children have the opportunities DJ had. She actively serves on several boards.

Danroy "Dan" T. Henry is the co-founder of the DJ Henry Dream Fund. He was previously the chief culture officer at Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Inc., and chief human resources officer of one of its subsidiaries. Recognized as a values-driven business professional, he is a contributing author to Inside the Minds and has also been a featured speaker at the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA) annual convention, Society for Human Resource Management, the Conference Board, and National Association of African Americans in Human Resources. Dan is a graduate of Cornell University’s College of Industrial and Labor Relations. He has also held leadership positions at Staples, FleetBoston Financial Corp., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of NY, Reebok International Ltd., and NEHRA.

“This remarkable group of honorees speaks to the many accomplishments and wide-ranging interests of the Class of 2024 and the Pace University community,” said Marvin Krislov, president of Pace University. “I’m pleased that we will once again be celebrating all of our graduates together in one in-person celebration, and I’m even happier that we’ll have such an impressive group of role models to help us mark this momentous occasion.”

LaChanze will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree, honoris causa, at the 12:15 p.m. main ceremony, and she will address the graduates and their guests. LaChanze is a Tony Award-winning actor. A powerhouse in Broadway for 38 seasons, she brings complex and triumphant women to life on stage. Last season, she made her mark as a producer with two acclaimed shows, “Kimberly Akimbo” and the 20th-anniversary revival of Suzan-Lori Parks’ acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Topdog/Underdog,” earning a total of 11 Tony nominations and six wins. This season, she's back with more hits, including “Here Lies Love” and “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” with “The Outsiders” slated for Spring 2024. Fall 2024 will mark her directorial debut in New York City with “Wine in the Wilderness.” LaChanze's accolades include a Tony win for “The Color Purple,” originating the role of Ti Moune in “Once on This Island,” and nominations for her roles in “Trouble In Mind” and “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.” On-screen, she's shined in productions like “The Help” and “Hercules,” while leading Black Theatre United in advocacy efforts.

Honorable Rowan D. Wilson will also receive Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, the highest honor conferred by the Law School -- recognizing his lifelong contributions to public service and the legal profession. As chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, he leads New York’s highest court and oversees the state’s entire court system. He was nominated by Gov. Kathy Hochul and confirmed by the State Senate as chief judge in April 2023 after serving as an associate judge on the court since February 2017. He received his AB degree from Harvard College in 1981, and his JD degree from Harvard Law School in 1984. He was admitted to the bar of the State of California in 1985, and the bar of the State of New York in 1987. From 1984 to 1986, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable James R. Browning, chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, Calif.

In 1986, he joined the firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City as an associate, and was elected to partnership in 1991, a position he held until February 2017. His practice encompassed a wide variety of matters, including antitrust, intellectual property, securities and common-law fraud, contract, labor and employment, civil rights and first amendment issues. On Jan. 15, 2017, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo nominated Judge Wilson to serve as an Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals, and the New York State Senate confirmed his nomination on Feb. 6, 2017. While in private practice, Judge Wilson served on the boards of several charitable and not-for-profit organizations and handled numerous pro bono matters.

Former president of DC Comics Paul Levitz will address the joint afternoon ceremony for the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Sands College of Performing Arts, and School of Education. Levitz pioneered comics journalism with The Comic Reader in 1971, winning multiple awards. Inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2019, he's received accolades like Comic Con International’s Inkpot Award and the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award. Known for iconic DC Comics runs, including Justice Society and The Legion of Super-Heroes, his Legion: The Great Darkness Saga is hailed as one of the greatest comic stories. As a DC executive, he oversaw significant growth, and his writings, spanning over 500 stories, have sold over 25 million copies in 20 languages. Levitz remains a prominent figure, consulting for Warner Bros. and others. His influential works, such as 75 Years of DC Comics and The Power of Comics and Graphic Novels, have earned him industry acclaim, including Eisner Awards. Levitz's impact extends beyond comics; he's lectured at prestigious universities and authored textbooks on the medium, cementing his legacy as a titan of the industry.

President of The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens, David L. Reich, MD will address the joint afternoon ceremony for the College of Health Professions and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. Dr. David Reich joined Mount Sinai in 1984. He is the Horace W. Goldsmith Professor of Anesthesiology and was Chair of the department prior to assuming his current position in 2013. An academic cardiac anesthesiologist, he has published more than 200 articles, editorials, and book chapters. As a hospital executive, he has enhanced safety and quality by forming an institute for critical care medicine, rapidly deploying digital innovation tools including AI-enhanced clinical decision support and leading in COVID-19 care and diagnostics. He is the executive sponsor of the Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery.

About Pace University

Since 1906, Pace University has been transforming the lives of its diverse students—academically, professionally, and socioeconomically. With campuses in New York City and Westchester County, Pace offers bachelor, master, and doctoral degree programs to 13,600 students in its College of Health Professions, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Lubin School of Business, School of Education, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.