Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann to speak at HU’s 116th Commencement

0001 Lt Governor Sue Ellspermann

HUNTINGTON, Ind. Indiana's Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann will be the keynote speaker at Huntington University's 116th Commencement on May 17.

Huntington will honor graduates in the fieldhouse of the Merillat Complex at 2:30 p.m. The graduate hooding ceremony will take place at the Church of the Nazarene, 1555 Flaxmill Road, in Huntington at 10:45 a.m. The university will award master's, bachelor's and associate degrees to 288 graduates.

Ellspermann is the 50th lieutenant governor of Indiana and was elected to the position in November 2012.

In her position, she manages six state agencies, including the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, the Office of Defense Development, the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, the Office of Tourism Development and the Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. She also serves as president of the Indiana Senate and chairs the Indiana Counter Terrorism and Security Council.

Raised in Ferdinand, Ind., she worked her way through Purdue as an engineering cooperative education student with General Motors. She graduated from Purdue as an industrial engineer and established a career in engineering and management at Michelin and Frito-Lay.

After earning her master's degree and doctorate in industrial engineering at the University of Louisville, she established Ellspermann and Associates and began a 20-year consulting practice. She later became the founding director of the University of Southern Indiana's Center for Applied Research and Economic Development.

The day of Commencement also will include a breakfast for graduates and their parents, an awards ceremony for Professional Programs students and the president's luncheon.