SitemapTwo alumni from Youngstown State University — Presley Gillespie, president of Neighborhood Allies in Pittsburgh, and George Young, chief executive of Kalypso LP — will deliver commencement addresses and receive honorary degrees at Youngstown State University’s spring commencement May 6 in Beeghly Center.
Gabriella Gessler and Daniel Belinky are the student speakers.
Graduates in the Williamson College of Business Administration, Beeghly College of Education and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics will participate in the ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Young and Belinky will speak at this ceremony.
Graduates in the College of Creative Arts and Communication, Bitonte College of Health and Human Services and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences will participate in the ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Gillespie and Gessler will speak at this ceremony.
Christine Cobb, professor of theater and dance, and Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez, professor of philosophy and religious studies, are mace-bearers for the ceremonies.
Young, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from YSU, founded Kalypso in 2004. The company is a global management consultancy focused on digital innovation and product development. He holds two patents and has written for numerous scientific and business publications.
Gillespie, a nationally-recognized leader in community and economic development, was the founding executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. He previously worked in the banking sector, including vice president for KeyBank.
Gessler is graduating with a degree in exercise science, pre-physical therapy, through the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services. She is the president of the Student Government Association. She has been involved in the YSU Student Food Pantry, and creation of various academic and student experience committees involving text book affordability and inclusion and awareness. Gessler plans to continue her education at YSU, where she has been accepted in the physical therapy doctoral program.
Belinky, a 2013 Boardman High School graduate and a business economics major with a minor in mathematics, is a member of the 21st class of University Scholars, served as vice president of the Ugandan Water Project, worked as a peer tutor in the Center for Student Progress, served as president of Beta Gamma Sigma, and worked at MakerGear in Beachwood through the Ohio Export Internship Program. He has accepted a position with First National Bank as a cost analyst intern. Next fall, he will serve as a teaching assistant in the YSU economics department as he works towards a master’s in financial economics.
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