On Wednesday, Feb. 15, President Michael Roth ’78 announced that the University will honor four individuals at the 191st Commencement on May 28, 2023. Among the honorary degree recipients are Annette Gordon-Reed, Jennifer Finney Boylan ’80, Larry McHugh, and Donna Morea ’76 P’06. Gordon-Reed will also deliver the commencement speech.

Roth expressed his enthusiasm about all of the honorees and explained some of the rationale behind their selection.

“Annette Gordon-Reed is one of the most distinguished historians of African American history and Black studies,” Roth said. “She made these great discoveries about [Thomas] Jefferson and Sally Hemings, revolutionizing the way we think about that period of American history, and then wrote this beautiful memoir called ‘[On] Juneteenth,’ which is about both the history of the holiday [and] her own growing up in Texas.”

A scholar, writer, speaker, and historian, Gordon-Reed currently serves as the Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard University, where she specializes in history and law. Her previous roles include Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Visiting Professor of American History at the University of Oxford (2014–2015) and the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (2010–2015). Her books have won a total of 16 prizes, including the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in History and the 2008 National Book Award for “The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.” Gordon-Reed’s most recent book, “On Juneteenth,” has garnered numerous accolades, including a place on The New York Times Top 10 Books of 2021 list.

“I had my eye on her to try to get her to come [speak at commencement], even though I haven’t met her,” Roth said. “She’s widely admired by anyone who cares about American history and Black history. She honors us by letting us honor her.”

Roth is also excited to welcome two alumni back to campus to receive honorary degrees. One of them, Morea, also previously served as chair of the Board of Trustees.

“We have a history of honoring former chairs of the Board with an honorary doctorate,” Roth said. “She was a great contributor to us as a Board chair and in all kinds of volunteer activities.”

Morea began her time as a trustee in 2008 and served for 12 years, becoming the first female chair of the Board in 2016. She is currently the CEO of the private consulting and advising firm Adesso Group and an operating executive at the Carlyle Group. Previously, Morea worked at American Management Systems and CGI Group for 31 years, retiring in 2011. As the president of CGI Technologies and Solutions, she oversaw the company’s business across three continents in the sectors of government, health care, finance, and telecommunications. Morea also highly values giving back to her community. She works as a director of Share Our Strength, a worldwide organization that combats hunger; a trustee of Virginia nonprofit healthcare provider Inova Health System; and a chairman emeritus of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.

Roth commended Morea’s translation of a studio art degree into a successful career as a senior executive in the tech industry.

“After a while as a photographer, she went to [the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania] and got a business degree, and then became a major figure in the technology industry,” Roth said. “She went from being a ‘crazy’ art major, when at that time, there weren’t that many, to being a senior technology executive.”

The other alumna receiving an honorary doctorate is Boylan, a New York Times bestselling author and advocate for human rights, especially for transgender individuals. Roth emphasized the significance of her recognition by the University in the wake of recent killings of transgender people across the country. 

“[Boylan] is a very distinguished writer, having written a bunch of novels and memoirs, and is one of the most visible activists for trans people in the country,” Roth said. “I’m an admirer of her writing and activism on behalf of trans people, especially right now when they are under such cruel attacks around the country. Jenny has had a novel on The New York Times bestseller list for many, many weeks. She is just a remarkable person. At this moment, I think it’s great to honor her.”

Boylan, who studied English at the University, has written 18 books, including her 2003 memoir “She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders,” which became the first bestselling book written by a transgender American author. Some of her other notable works include the novel “Long Black Veil” and the memoir “Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs.” Her most recent novel, “Mad Honey,” was co-authored with Jodi Picoult.

As a well-known human-rights advocate, Boylan has spoken on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Larry King Live,” “The Today Show,”“Barbara Walters Specials,” and NPR’s “Marketplace,” “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!,” and “Fresh Air,” in addition to penning op-eds in The New York Times. Boylan also served on the the Kinsey Institute’s Board of Trustees and GLAAD’s Board of Directors, where she became the first openly transgender chair. Boylan is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for PEN America and belongs to the faculty of both the Middlebury Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy.

The final honoree is McHugh, a public servant and businessman who has been active in Middlesex County throughout his career. 

“Larry McHugh has been a fixture in Connecticut politics, education and the business community,” Roth said. “He was a local football coach many years ago, for many years the chair of the local Chamber of Commerce and also of the [University of Connecticut] board. We have a history of choosing an honorary doctorate recipient who’s someone from the Middletown area who’s huge in public service, and Larry fits that bill perfectly.”

McHugh, who worked for 39 years as the president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, has greatly contributed to the Middletown community throughout his lifetime. Working to revitalize downtown Middletown, he helped build up local businesses and establish nonprofit partnerships. McHugh has also helped strengthen the relationship between the University and the Middletown community. He taught and coached football for 20 years at Xavier High School. In the 1980s, he joined the board of the Connecticut State University System, serving as chairman from 1995 to 2008. In 2009, he was nominated as chairman of the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees, a position he held until 2017.

Roth expressed his contentment with the diverse selection of honorary degree recipients for the upcoming commencement.

“I think it’s a nice balance of people from different places and different walks of life, different ages,” Roth said.

Sulan Bailey can be reached at sabailey@wesleyan.edu.

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@wesleyan.edu.