Embry-Riddle Spring Commencement Ceremonies Scheduled

Prescott, AZ Campus (to include worldwide graduates)

The commencement ceremony for 291 students of the Prescott Campus and 37 of the Worldwide Campus will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, at Prescott Valley Event Center, 3201 N. Main St., Prescott Valley, Ariz. For more information on the Prescott/Worldwide commencement, go to prescott.erau.edu/campus-life/graduation. A live streaming broadcast of the ceremony will be available at erau.edu/graduation.

The graduating class includes 19 Prescott students receiving military commissions: 11 from Air Force ROTC and eight from Army ROTC.

Commencement speaker will be Gabriel L. Navarrete: Chief Security Officer, Falcon Global Strategies. 

An Embry-Riddle alumnus, Navarrete graduated from Embry-Riddle Prescott earning his Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Science in 1988 and was a member of the Golden Eagles Flight Team.

Navarrete is the Chief Security Officer for Falcon Global Strategies, a global think tank. Navarrete brings to his position more than 26 years of global security experience, including over a decade of protective security management.  He is a former Special Agent with the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration and is a graduate of the DEA/FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., where he received a Pistol Expert Award. Two months after the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, he served as the Senior Director of Corporate Security & Safety for Sybase and was tasked with creating a global corporate security program.

Navarrete supports the Prescott Campus through philanthropic giving and service as a member of the Prescott Campus Board of Visitors.  He was inducted into the Chancellor's Alumni Hall of Fame during the campus' OctoberWest 2015 homecoming celebration, and Navarrete and his wife Carmen are parents of Emilio Navarrete, currently a sophomore at Embry-Riddle Prescott studying Safety Science.

Prescott, AZ Campus Media Contact: Jason Kadah, Director of Communications, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott Campus; Office: (928) 777-6731; Cell: (602) 826-4790; jason.kadah@erau.edu

Worldwide Campus:

The commencement ceremony for 385 students of the Worldwide Campus will be held Saturday, May 7, 2016 at 9 a.m. at the ICI Center, Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach Campus, 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd. For more information on the Worldwide commencement and a live streaming broadcast of the ceremony, go to portal.stretchinternet.com/erauadmin/

Commencement speaker will be Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Moeller, Vice President of Business Development for Pratt & Whitney's Military Engines Division.

In this role, he is responsible for engaging with governments and industries from around the world to secure new international and domestic business. Additionally, he oversees the growth of the military aftermarket business through the worldwide facilities and military bases where Pratt & Whitney performs overhaul, maintenance, supply chain management and field services.

Moeller joined Pratt & Whitney in 2015 after serving 34 years in the U.S. Air Force. During his final assignment as deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs, Moeller led the development and integration of the Air Force's long-range plans and the five-year, $604 billion Future Years Defense Program to ensure the Air Force's ability to build and employ effective air, space and cyber forces to achieve national defense objectives. He also served as the U.S. security coordinator for the Israel-Palestinian authority for the U.S. Department of State. 

While on active duty, Moeller was a command pilot with more than 4,440 flying hours and 670 combat hours and served in operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. He was a commander at all levels of the Air Force including squadron, group and wing.  His staff tours included service as director of strategy, plans, and policy for U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Central Command as well as on U.S. Air Force headquarters and joint staffs.

Moeller earned a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a master's degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a master's degree from the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. He also completed the National Security Leadership Course from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Worldwide Campus Media Contact: Molly Justice, Director of Communications, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campuses; Office: (386) 226-7089; molly.justice@erau.edu

Daytona Beach, FL Campus:

The commencement ceremony for 748 students of the Daytona Beach Campus will be held Tuesday, May 10, at 10 a.m. at the Ocean Center, 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach. For directions to the Ocean Center, go to www.oceancenter.com. For more information on the Daytona Beach commencement and a live streaming broadcast of the ceremony, go to http://daytonabeach.erau.edu/campus-life/graduation.

The graduating class includes 67 Daytona Beach students receiving military commissions: 36 from Air Force ROTC, 11 from Army ROTC and 20 from Naval ROTC.

Candidates for Ph.D. in Aviation degrees include Samson Fatokun and Jonathan Velazquez.

Commencement speaker will be Embry-Riddle graduate, the Honorable Robert L. Sumwalt of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Sumwalt was first appointed to the NTSB in August 2006 by President George W. Bush as the 37th Member, serving a two-year term as Vice Chairman of the Board. In November 2011, President Barack Obama reappointed Sumwalt to an additional five-year term as Board Member.

Since joining the Board, Sumwalt has been a strong advocate for improving safety in all modes of transportation, including teen driver safety, impaired driving, distractions in transportation, and several rail safety initiatives.

Before joining the NTSB, Sumwalt was a pilot for 32 years, including 24 years with Piedmont Airlines and US Airways. He accumulated over 14,000 flight hours. During his tenure at US Airways, he worked on special assignment to the flight safety department and also served on the airline's Flight Operational Quality Assurance monitoring team.

Following his airline career, Sumwalt managed the corporate aviation department for a Fortune 500 energy company. In other notable accomplishments, he chaired the Air Line Pilots Association's Human Factors and Training Group and co-founded the association's critical incident response program. He also spent eight years as a consultant to NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System and has written extensively on aviation safety matters.

Sumwalt earned an undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Aeronautical Science (with Distinction) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with concentrations in aviation/aerospace safety systems and human factors aviation systems.

He was honored with Embry-Riddle's Distinguished Speaker Award in 2015.

Daytona Beach Campus Media Contact: James Roddey, Director of Communications, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach Campus; Office: (386) 226-6198; james.roddey@erau.edu