Golden State Today

The head coach for the NBA's Sacramento Kings, the undersecretary for food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the chief medical officer for Covered California are among the guest speakers for the spring commencement ceremonies of the University of California, Davis. The two others are a healthcare and philanthropic consultant, and an expert on race, class, reproductive rights and their intersection.

The season of 13 commencements begins Friday on the Davis campus and concludes with undergraduate ceremonies at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

Here are the speakers, according to the date of the ceremony at which they are speaking.

"Khiara M. BridgesMay 10 — Khiara M. Bridges, a professor of law at UC Berkeley, will speak to graduates and guests at the UC Davis School of Law commencement. Her scholarship has appeared in leading law reviews, and she is the author of three books: Reproducing Race: An Ethnography of Pregnancy as a Site of Racialization, The Poverty of Privacy Rights, and Critical Race Theory: A Primer. A fourth book, Expecting Inequity: Race, Class, and Reproductive Justice, is under contract."

"Monica SoniMay 18 — Dr. Monica Soni, chief medical officer of Covered California since May 2023, will speak at the School of Medicine commencement. At the state’s health insurance marketplace, Soni is responsible for health equity, health care strategy, medical policy, medical management and other clinical operations to continuously improve contracted health plans and the state’s delivery system."

"José Emilio EstebanMay 24 — Dr. José Emilio Esteban, a UC Davis alum who became the USDA’s undersecretary for food safety in 2023, will speak at the School of Veterinary Medicine commencement. He leads the office responsible for the Food Safety and Inspection Service, or FSIS, which has regulatory oversight for ensuring that meat, poultry and egg products are safe, wholesome and properly labeled."

"Susan Baade SongJune 13 — Susan Baade Song, a health care and philanthropic consultant, will speak at the ceremony for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. Previously a program officer who for 10 years led the efforts of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to support nursing leadership and innovation, Song worked closely with faculty and staff at the nursing school."

"Mike BrownJune 14-16 — Mike Brown, the head coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, will speak by way of a recorded video to the five undergraduate ceremonies at Golden 1 Center — home of the Kings. In his first season as head coach of the Kings, Brown guided Sacramento to the seventh-best record in the NBA and helped the Kings secure the third seed in the Western Conference."

Faculty speakers for the five undergraduate ceremonies, nominated by their college’s dean, have been named.

"June 14, 9 a.m. — Jay Stachowicz, professor, Department of Evolution and Ecology, College of Biological Sciences

June 14, 2 p.m. — Debbie Fetter, assistant professor of teaching, Department of Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, or CAES

June 15, 9 a.m. — Colleen E. Bronner, associate professor of teaching, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering

June 15, 2 p.m. — Russ Hovey, professor, Department of Animal Science, CAES

June 16, 9 a.m. — Janine L. F. Wilson, associate professor of teaching economics, Department of Economics, College of Letters and Science"

Following is a complete list of commencement dates, times, and locations.

"May 10 — School of Law, 11 a.m., University Credit Union Center

May 18 — School of Medicine, 10 a.m., Mondavi Center

May 24 — School of Veterinary Medicine, 3:30 p.m., Mondavi Center

June 12 — School of Education, 4 p.m., Mondavi Center

June 13 — Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, 10 a.m., Mondavi Center

June 13 — Graduate Studies, for masters students, 10 a.m., University Credit Union Center

June 13 — Graduate Studies, for Master of Fine Arts and doctoral students, 3 p.m., University Credit Union Center

June 14 — Graduate School of Management, 10 a.m., University Credit Union Center

June 14 — Two undergraduate ceremonies, 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Golden 1 Center

June 15 — Two undergraduate ceremonies, 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Golden 1 Center

June 16 — Undergraduate ceremony, 9 a.m., Golden 1 Center"

Nine identity, cultural, and affinity celebrations will be held June 6-15. More information on these events and commencements, including ticket requirements for most ceremonies, is available on the commencement website. Information about commencement livestreams will be available online.

"In 2022-23, UC Davis conferred a total of 11,582 degrees: 9,011 bachelor’s, 813 professional, 1,134 master’s, and 624 doctoral degrees."