Nazareth College is proud to announce that Rochester Mayor Thomas S. Richards, will address the class of 2013 at the College’s 86th commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 12. The ceremony will take place at 9:45 a.m. at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. Richards will address both the undergraduate and graduate classes. For more information, please contact Julie Long at (585) 389-2456.

Richards was sworn in as Mayor of Rochester, N.Y. on April 11, 2011 after winning a special election to decide the successor to Mayor Robert J. Duffy, who left office mid-term in December to become New York’s Lieutenant Governor. Prior to joining the Duffy administration, Mayor Richards was the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of RGS, the parent company of Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E). Before embarking on the political journey, Richards was a partner in the Nixon, Hargrave, Devans & Doyle (Now Nixon Peabody) law firm for 20 years. 

Born in Danville, Pa., just north of Philadelphia, Richards is a graduate of Bucknell University and Cornell University Law School. Richards also served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. Volunteerism is of great importance to Richards and he has served on a variety of corporate and community boards. One of his most recent community ventures landed him as the volunteer founding chairman of the Greater Rochester Enterprise, a public/private partnership dedicated to the economic development of the Rochester region.

Founded in 1924, Nazareth College is located on a close-knit, suburban campus in the dynamic, metropolitan region of Rochester, N.Y. The College offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences and professional programs in health and human services, education, and management. Nazareth's strong cultures of service and community prepare students to be successful professionals and engaged citizens. The College enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduate students and 1,000 graduate students.