PARAMUS, N.J. – Former Bergen Community College Board of Trustees vice chair and current Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility President and CEO Cid D. Wilson will deliver the keynote address at the College’s commencement Thursday, May 21. The 46th installment of the College’s annual graduation ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus. More than 2,000 students will graduate as part of Bergen’s class of 2015.
“I am very excited that Cid D. Wilson, a tireless champion for Bergen Community College students both during his service on our board of trustees and today, will celebrate a 'homecoming' as the guest-of-honor for the College's 46th commencement,” Bergen President B. Kaye Walter, Ph.D., said. “Given his new role, vast experiences and continued advocacy on behalf of students, Mr. Wilson will undoubtedly inspire our graduates as they prepare to enter careers and transfer to four-year institutions.”
Wilson joined the College’s governing body in 2005 and left last year after relocating to Washington, D.C. for his current position at the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. The organization works to encourage the inclusion of Hispanics in corporate employment, procurement, philanthropy and governance.
The federal government designates Bergen as one of 250 Hispanic-serving institutions in the U.S. The program assists colleges serving a significant population of Hispanic students. One quarter of Bergen students self-identify as Hispanic.
“I am truly excited to come back to Bergen County, where I had lived nearly my entire life, to deliver the keynote speech for the Bergen Community College commencement ceremony,” Wilson said. “Supporting the students at Bergen and advocating for community colleges around the nation continues to be a labor of love for me. I look forward to a memorable ceremony for the class of 2015.”
During his 20 years of experience in the financial services sector, Wilson earned recognition as the No. 1 specialty retail analyst by Forbes. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Wilson to the National Museum of the American Latino Study Commission that explored the construction of a new Smithsonian Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
In addition to his membership on the College’s board, he served on the board of directors for the Latino Justice PRLDEF (formerly the Puerto Rican Legal Defense & Education Fund), the National Council of La Raza and Dominicans on Wall Street and is a former national president of the Dominican American National Roundtable. He is a Gold Life Member of the NAACP.
Wilson graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.S. in economics.
Dr. John W. Davis of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund delivered the College’s first commencement keynote in 1970. Since then, speakers have included former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley (twice), U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios, two governors and three Bergen County executives. American Express CEO Ken Chenault provided last year’s keynote.
Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu) based in Paramus is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling nearly 16,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields.
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