St. Andrews Presbyterian College announces that Dr. A. Hope Williams will be the commencement speaker for the 2008 ceremony held on May 3 on DeTamble Terrace.

Williams is the President of North Carolina Independent College and Universities, a position she has held since 1992. In the position, she represents independent higher education with the Governor, North Carolina General Assembly, the U.S. Congress and the media. She is an advocate for federal funding of financial aid and the $105 million in state grants and other programs to help students attend independent colleges and universities.

Currently the chair of the Advanced Energy Corporation, she has served on numerous boards including the MCNC Advisory Council, National Association of Independent College and University State Executives, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Women’s Forum of North Carolina, Raleigh Rotary Club, North Carolina Association of Institutional Research, North Carolina Adult Education Association and was a founding board member of North Carolina Equity.

Williams has been recognized for her work in many ways, including being named 2005 Woman Extraordinaire by Business Leader Magazine, named one of the Top 25 Women in Business Award by the Business Journal in 2001, and receiving the Outstanding Service Award from the Rotary Club of Raleigh in 1997.