Commencement 2025
The Graduate School of Education and Human Development
2025 Commencement Celebration
Thank you to everyone that joined us in celebrating the Class of 2024. Review event recording and program below.
Schedule of Events
GSEHD School Celebration
& Doctoral Hooding
Saturday, May 17, 2025
8:30 a.m. EDT
Charles E. Smith Center
Graduates will receive 8 guest tickets.
GW Commencement
Sunday, May 18, 2025
10:30 a.m. EDT
National Mall
Graduates will receive 6 guest tickets.
Watch the recording of the GSEHD School Celebration
2025 GSEHD Graduation Celebration Program
| Download Accessible PDF | Flip Through the Program Online |
GSEHD Graduation Speakers
Keynote Address
Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee (MA '00)
Chancellor of DC Public Schools
Student Speaker
Jacqueline T. Hatch
Master's in International Education
- Read More About Dr. Lewis Ferebee
Since 2018, Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee has served as Chancellor of DC Public Schools (DCPS). As a veteran education leader, he has over two decades of experience as a teacher, principal, and district leader. Under Dr. Ferebee’s leadership, DCPS has surpassed enrollment of a record 52,000 students, improved graduation rates by 12%, and was recognized by Harvard and Stanford Universities as a national leader in post-pandemic academic recovery. Most recently, the district achieved the greatest gains in 4th grade math among large-city districts, according to the Nation’s Report Card.
Prior to joining DCPS, Dr. Ferebee served as Superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, where he successfully raised the district's graduation rate by 15%. Before his tenure in Indianapolis, Dr. Ferebee was the Chief of Staff for Durham Public Schools.
As a leader within the education space, Dr. Ferebee has received extensive recognition for his accomplishments in advancing student achievement. He was named Principal of the Year in North Carolina’s Guilford County Schools, recognized as one of Education Week’s Leaders to Learn From, and received Marian University’s John A. Purdie Innovator and Mentor of the Year Award.
Dr. Ferebee earned his doctorate in educational leadership from East Carolina University, a master's degree in school administration from the George Washington University, and a bachelor's degree in elementary education from North Carolina Central University.- Read More About Jacqueline Hatch
Jacqui is a proud graduate of GSEHD’s International Education Program, where she focused on the nexus of Development and Higher Education. During her time at GW Jacqui served as a Lab Leader of the Refugee Educational Advancement Lab (REAL), and the International Education Association (IEA) President. She also worked in various government capacities, served as an associate board member and taught ESL for the Washington English Center, and contributed research to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Institute of International Education (iie). Last Fall, Jacqui served as the inaugural United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Graduate Fellow at the Geneva Liaison Office (GLO) where she served as a panelist on the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions, advocating for minority issues and self-representation in spaces of learning. She’d like to share her gratitude with her cohort and the IEP faculty for what has been an incomparable graduate experience.
2025 Dean's Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award
Dr. Elizabeth K. Eder (MAT Museum Education '83)
Elizabeth K. Eder, Ph.D. has worked at the Smithsonian Institution for more than twenty years, first as Assistant Director for National Education Partnerships at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (2005-2013) and then as Head of Education and Public Programs at the National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) (2013-2018). Dr. Eder joined the Office of the Undersecretary for Education in 2018 as Program Director for PreK-12 Strategic Education Initiatives for all Smithsonian museums. In April 2020 she returned to NMAA to work on outreach and partnerships in the Office of the Deputy Director and then as Program Administrator for academic programs. From March 2024-March 2025 she served as Interim Head of Education at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum where she advised the Leadership Team on strategies for building a new education department and collaborated with curatorial staff on the development of the museum’s forthcoming 2026 exhibition. She is currently a Research Associate at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and also serves as a consultant on museum projects in Japan, China, and Bulgaria.
- Read More about Dr. Eder
Dr. Eder came to the Smithsonian in 2005 after teaching social foundations of education at the University of Maryland College Park and Millersville University (PA) for five years. She has also worked as director of professional education programs at the American Association of Museums, head of school and teacher programs at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, and lecturer at the National Gallery of Art.
Dr. Eder is the author of Constructing Opportunity: American Women Educators in Early Meiji Japan, co-editor and author of Hidden Messages: Instructional Materials for Investigating Culture, as well as numerous book chapters and articles in juried publications. She is a frequent speaker at professional conferences and an invited lecturer at museums and universities. She has taught in the Johns Hopkins University Museum Studies Graduate Program for more than a decade. This semester (Spring 2025) she is teaching a graduate course in the History and Philosophy of Museums (in Global Context).
Dr. Eder has a B.A. in Design from American University, an M.A.T. in museum education from the George Washington University, and a Ph.D. in social foundations of education (comparative and historical) from University of Maryland College Park.
Questions?
If you have questions about GW's commencement ceremonies, refer to the Frequently Asked Questions or contact commencement
gwu [dot] edu (commencement[at]gwu[dot]edu). For GSEHD events, contact gsehdoslgwu [dot] edu (subject: Graduation%202023) (gsehdosl[at]gwu[dot]edu).
Regalia
All students participating in school celebrations and Commencement on the National Mall must wear regalia. Active service members may wear their dress uniform in lieu of regalia. Graduates may order regalia online through April 2.
Keepsakes
Information about additional purchases such as announcements, diploma frames, yearbooks and class rings will be shared in the future. The GW Campus Store offers alumni clothing and gifts.
GIFs: Search gwcommencement in the GIF feature of Instagram and Snapchat to add GW Commencement stickers to your stories.
