Regis University Announces Speakers for 2026 Commencement
Commencement ceremonies are scheduled for May 2 and 3, celebrating graduate students on Saturday and undergraduate students on Sunday
Regis University is pleased to announce this year’s speakers for its 2026 Commencement ceremonies. Ken Salazar, lawyer, politician and former United States Ambassador to Mexico, will provide the address at the graduate and doctoral ceremony on Saturday, May 2. Sr. Sen Nguyen, of the Sisters of St. Francis at Marycrest and founder of the Bridging Hope nonprofit, will speak at the undergraduate commencement on Sunday, May 3.
Ken Salazar is one of the most accomplished public servants in the country, serving Colorado for over 40 years. Prior to his service as the United States Ambassador to Mexico from 2021 to 2025, Salazar had served as the 50th Secretary of the Interior from 2009 to 2013 under the administration of President Barack Obama. Salazar proudly served as the first Latino senator to represent Colorado from 2005 to 2009, and as the Attorney General of Colorado from 1999 to 2005.
As a recipient of Regis University’s Civis Princeps award this year, Salazar represents the excellence of Coloradans. Originally hailing from the San Luis Valley, Salazar has deep connections to the state. Salazar has championed the same rural communities that he grew up in, advocating for accessible rural health care and conservation of Colorado’s natural beauty and resources.
Sr. Sen Nguyen, O.S.F., entered the Sisters of St. Francis at Marycrest in 1983, bringing with her a strong connection to her home country of Vietnam to Colorado. Graduating from Regis University with a B.A. in Sociology and Religious Studies in 1989, she has continued to empower impoverished women and children in Vietnam through providing health care and job training. In 2007, Sr. Nguyen founded Bridging Hope, a non-profit organization which helps fund projects in Vietnam for the underserved.
As a recipient of the Honorary Doctorate award, Sr. Nguyen exemplifies the attributes of a Jesuit education through her teaching, healing and empowerment.
Regis University is proud to host these distinguished speakers to be honored at the 2026 graduate and undergraduate commencement ceremonies. Both ceremonies will take place on the Regis University campus and will be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.
For more information about Regis University’s 2026 Commencement, visit www.regis.edu/commencement.