2019 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony Program

24 D istinguished H onoree C ommencement S peaker for A fternoon C eremony Gregory Adam Haile, J.D., is the seventh president of Broward College. Prior to his appointment in July 2018, Haile served for seven years as the college’s general counsel and vice president for public policy and government affairs. Before he joined Broward College, he worked as a corporate litigator. With a record of public service and community leadership, Haile has volunteered thousands of hours to local charitable organizations and helped raise more than $1 million for Broward County causes. He has received more than 20 recognitions for leadership, service, and excellence in his profession. In his previous position at Broward College, Haile oversawbroad-ranging legal issues and provided counsel to support every aspect of the college’s operations. He developed and led programs to engage students, business, industry, and civic organizations. He played critical roles in budgeting, business strategy, revenue generation, fiscal planning, and other areas of the college, as well as for the Broward College Foundation. In overseeing government affairs for Broward College, Haile became a recognized leader in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. He worked to enhance political leadership’s understanding of higher education issues, the impact of potential or pending legislation on higher-education institutions, and the impact of Broward College on the South Florida community. Haile received his J.D. degree at Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and served as the editor in chief of the National Black Law Journal and as an editor of the Journal on Gender and Law . He received his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University, where he graduated magna cum laude and received the Most Outstanding Graduate award in his college. He also is a fellow of the Vanderbilt University Higher Education Management Institute. Haile is involved in numerous charitable and community service organizations. He currently serves on the board of the United Way of Broward, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, and Leadership Florida. He is a member of the Higher Education Committee of 50 (“Forward 50”), supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He serves as chair of Free the Slaves, a Washington, D.C.-based worldwide advocacy and service organization fighting human trafficking. Haile is the recipient of many awards. He was a Leadership Broward Profiles in Leadership honoree in 2018 and received the South Florida Business and Wealth Magazine Up & Comer Award in education in 2016. In 2015, Haile was named one of South Florida’s 50 most powerful and influential black professionals in business and industry by Legacy South Florida Magazine .