Educator, author, and businessman Stedman Graham has been selected to deliver the keynote address during Ashford University’s commencement ceremony on Sunday, October 13.

An expected 1,560 students from across the United States and from several foreign territories will receive their Ashford diplomas during the ceremony at the iWireless Center in Moline, Ill. The graduates and an estimated 4,500 additional guests have been invited to participate in pre-commencement activities at the University’s campus in Clinton, Iowa on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Stedman Graham is chairman and CEO of S. Graham & Associates (SGA), a management and marketing consulting company specializing in the corporate and education markets. Its clients include Merrill Lynch, Apollo Group, DutchVersity, Monster.com, Manpower, Harvard and Wharton Business Schools and the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor.

Graham’s presentations on the topics of identity development, maximizing leadership, achieving success, and personal and professional branding are driven by his Nine-Step Success Process®, a life and learning management system designed to organize your life around your identity.

He has authored eleven books, including two New York Times bestsellers – You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan for Success and Teens Can Make It Happen: Nine Steps to Success. His latest release, Identity: Your Passport to Success, reached number six on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list for hardcover business books.

Actively involved in education, Graham is a former adjunct professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago where he taught a leadership course based on his nine-step process. At the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, he taught a management strategy course titled “The Dynamics of Leadership.” He also founded and directed George Washington University’s Forum for Sport and Event Management and Marketing – the first of its kind in the country. Graham is a current adjunct professor for several universities around the country.

Graham holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Hardin-Simmons University. He received a master’s degree in education from Ball State University and an honorary doctorate in humanities from Coker College.

Ashford University’s commencement ceremony for undergraduate and graduate students will be held at 10 a.m. and is open to the public.

About Ashford University

Ashford University is defining the modern college experience by combining the heritage of a traditional campus with the flexibility and effectiveness of online learning. The University provides a vibrant learning community where high-quality programs and leading-edge technology create a dynamic, immersive and stimulating learning experience. The University offers practical and progressive associate's, bachelor's and master's degree programs online, as well as bachelor’s degree programs at its Clinton, Iowa, campus. Ashford University – where heritage meets innovation. For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu or call Shari Winet Rodriguez, vice president of Public Relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.