Wave Staff and Wire Reports
LOS ANGELES — Tennis champion Venus Williams will deliver the keynote address at Loyola Marymount University’s undergraduate commencement ceremony May 16 while another tennis legend from an earlier era, Billie Jean King, will be among the featured speakers and honorees during Cal State Los Angeles’ commencement ceremonies next week.
The Loyola ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Sunken Garden on LMU’s Westchester campus, according to the university.
Media executive Ben Sherwood, CEO and publisher of The Daily Beast, will deliver the keynote address at the graduate ceremony May 17 at 9:30 a.m. in the Sunken Garden.
Judge Anthony Devos Johnstone of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will speak at the Loyola Law School commencement May 17 at 2:30 p.m., also in the Sunken Garden.
Nearly 3,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students are expected to participate in commencement events at LMU.
“With seven Grand Slam titles, five Wimbledon championships, and four Olympic gold medals, Venus is one of the most accomplished and inspiring women in the history of sports,” the university said.
“Beginning at the age of 14, she quickly took the tennis world by storm — rising to the top-ranked position, breaking countless records, and winning numerous championships.”
Williams was born in Lynwood and raised in Compton. Her father, Richard, taught Venus and her younger sister, Serena, how to play tennis and both became world champions.
Off the court, Williams has built a range of business ventures in design, wellness and media. She founded the design firm V Starr and launched the plant-based nutrition company Happy Viking, and has also worked as an investor and ambassador in the wellness space.
Most recently, she partnered with her sister, Serena, on an exclusive X Originals video podcast series, Stockton Street, which premiered last September. The viral hit series spotlights the pair as they reflect on their journey to becoming global icons, joined by a dynamic lineup of guests for candid conversations spanning family, health and wellness, mental health, pop culture, entrepreneurship, leadership, ambition and resilience.
Venus Williams released her health and wellness book, “Strive” in August 2024 with Amistad and HarperCollins. In it, she draws from her own personal health and wellness journey to share an easy-to-follow yet innovative life improvement program founded on her eight essential tenets: observe, appreciate, balance, enrich, soothe, believe, inspire and strive.
Throughout her career, Williams has been a steadfast advocate for equality. In 2006, UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural organization, named her its first “promoter of gender equality.” In 2007, her unwavering fight led Wimbledon to award women players the same pay as their male counterparts. In 2023, she received the inaugural U.S. Open Billie Jean King Champion of Equality Award, recognizing her continued dedication to promoting equality and leveling the playing field for athletes.
King is scheduled to receive her bachelor of arts degree in history and deliver the keynote address during a 5 p.m. commencement ceremony May 18 at the Shrine Auditorium.
Homeboy Industries founder Father Greg Boyle, Los Angeles civil rights leader Capri Maddox and attorney Omel A. Nieves will be other featured speakers and honorees during Cal State Los Angeles’ commencement ceremonies that run May 18-20.
King enrolled at Cal State L.A. in 1961 before leaving to pursue her tennis career, which included 39 grand slam titles and the landmark 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” victory over Bobby Riggs.
Boyle is scheduled to receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree and deliver the keynote address during a 9 a.m. ceremony May 18.
He founded what became the world’s largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024.
Maddox, executive director of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Department, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address and receive Cal State Los Angeles’ Presidential Award during a 5 p.m. ceremony May 20.
“One of Los Angeles’ leading voices on civil rights and equity will take center stage at Cal State L.A.’s 2026 Commencement,” the university said in a statement announcing the event.
Maddox, a two-time Cal State L.A. graduate, will be recognized for her work advancing civil rights and equity initiatives across Los Angeles during more than two decades in public service, according to the university.
She currently serves as the founding executive director of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Department under Mayor Karen Bass and has overseen initiatives including the “LA For All” anti-hate campaign, which was distributed in 21 languages citywide.
Maddox earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cal State LA.
Attorney and civic leader Nieves, president of the Cal State L.A. Foundation Board of Trustees, is scheduled to receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree and deliver remarks during a 1 p.m. commencement ceremony May 20.
University officials said Nieves is being recognized for more than 35 years of legal and civic leadership and his advocacy for student success.
