Jamaica Prime Minister and Exelon CEO to speak at Commencement

Delaware State University will host Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Exelon President and CEO Calvin Butler as its keynote speakers at its May 10 Commencement ceremonies.

The Honourable Andrew Michael Holness, the current Prime Minister of Jamaica, will be the keynote speaker at the Graduate Commencement Ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday, May 10 to be held indoors in the Memorial Hall Gymnasium.

Calvin Butler, who oversees Exelon’s six local electric and natural gas companies, will be the keynote speaker during the 8 a.m. Friday, May 10 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony to be held outdoors at Alumni Stadium

The Honourable Holness became the youngest person at age 39 to serve as the Prime Minister of Jamaica in October 2011, when his predecessor Bruce Golding resigned. Although he and his Jamaican Labour Party lost the subsequent December 2011 election, Holness and his party rebounded in 2016, making him the youngest elected Prime Minister at then-age 43; Prime Minister Holness then led his party to a second consecutive general election victory in 2020.

Prior to his elevation to Prime Minister and leader of the Jamaican Labour Party, he became a member of the Jamaican Parliament in 1997 representing West Central St. Andrew. On that body, he was the Opposition Spokesperson on Land and Development, worked on housing issues, and later he served as the Minister of Education from 2007 to 2012.

The Honourable Holness is the first-ever current Prime Minister to speak at a DSU Commencement Ceremony. Other past notable DSU Commencement speakers include then Past President John Kofi Agyekum of Ghana in 2015 and then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in 2016.

As CEO of Exelon, Mr. Butler oversees six companies – Atlantic City Electric, Baltimore Gas and Electric, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO, and Pepco – Exelon has the distinction of being the nation’s largest utility company by customer count, serving approximately 10 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Mr. Butler has been the Exelon CEO since Dec. 31, 2022 and currently serves as the Chairman of each utility’s board and also chairs Exelon’s Executive Committee. His corporate rise has been highlighted by numerous honors, including being named as The Daily Record’s “Power 100” list and as one of its 35 “Influential Marylanders” and a three-time “Most Admired CEO.” He has also been recognized by Enterprise magazine among the “Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America.”

Each of the DSU graduates participating in the May 10 Commencement ceremonies will be provided five tickets to share with family members and friends.