2023 Commencement and Baccalaureate Speakers

To families of graduating students,

Today we announced that K. Killian Noe (‘80), author, pastor, community builder, visionary and founder of Recovery Café and the Recovery Café Network, will deliver Wake Forest’s commencement address on Monday, May 15.

This year, Wake Forest increased the intentionality of the speaker selection process to emphasize alignment with the University’s motto. “Wake Foresters are called to embody Pro Humanitate at home and in the world. It is therefore appropriate for our Commencement speakers’ lives and careers to demonstrate their commitment to a similar calling,” President Susan R. Wente said.

A 1980 Wake Forest graduate, Killian received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015. The award recognizes alumni who reflect the spirit of Pro Humanitate through their service to community and alma mater. Wake Forest Magazine published an article on Killian, “Living in a Broken World,” in 2017.

The baccalaureate speaker will be Bishop Kym Lucas (‘92), the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Church in Colorado and the first woman bishop as well as the first African American bishop in the diocese’s 132-year history.

This year, the Baccalaureate service will take place on Sunday morning, May 14, at 11 a.m. 

The announcement was shared this morning on the Wake Forest News website. Please know how excited we are to have you join us on campus to celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2023 at Commencement.

The graduation ceremony and baccalaureate service are ticketed events reserved for graduates, their families and guests. Livestream webcasts of both events will be available on the University’s commencement website, and recordings will be posted after the events. Details on commencement weekend can be found on the 2023 Commencement website.