An alumna of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point who develops public utility and environmental legislation as head of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada will address graduates of her alma mater and their families at the spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 21.
Hayley WilliamsonHayley Williamson, a 2005 alumna, will speak to more than 1,100 graduates from the three UW-Stevens Point campuses. Ceremonies will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Multi-Activity Center inside Marshfield Clinic Health System Champions Hall, 2050 Fourth Ave., Stevens Point.
Ceremonies will be held by academic college to award doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees. For a full schedule and information, go to www.uwsp.edu/commencement.Those attending are encouraged to wear face coverings.
Chancellor Thomas Gibson will lead the ceremonies with the assistance of Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Marty Loy. Deans of the four academic colleges will preside over presentation of degrees. Bachelor of music candidates Abigayle Landrum, Green Bay, will sing the National Anthem, and Louella Derrico, Dorchester, Wis., will perform the alma mater at each ceremony. They will be accompanied by the UW-Stevens Point Symphony Orchestra, directed by Assistant Professor Andy Moran.
The student speaker for the 10 a.m. ceremony is Kaja Montplaisir, a bachelor’s degree candidate in English education from Zimmerman, Minn. For the 2 p.m. ceremony, the student speaker is Stephen Calgaro, a master’s degree candidate in music education from Waukesha. Alumni couple Ray Ackerlund, ’97, president of Skyward, and Connie Ackerlund, ‘98, a Wisconsin Rapids teacher, will lead the alumni pinning ceremonies.
Each ceremony will last approximately two and a half hours and will be livestreamed through the commencement website for those unable to attend. Guests may park in any campus lot for free, except Lot F West, which will be used for handicap access.
Williamson is the governor-appointed commissioner and chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada and a licensed attorney. She develops rules for state legislation such as Nevada’s new Renewable Portfolio Standard and Expanded Solar Access Program. She also is a governor appointee to the Nevada Transmission Task Force and vice president of the Body of State Regulators. She sits on a bistate agency that leads a regional effort for Lake Tahoe conservation and restoration.
Williamson holds a Juris Doctorate from Vermont Law School and Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge. She and her family reside in Stateline, Nev.