Stetson’s annual Convocation, set for Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 11 a.m., will be highlighted by an engaging alumna innovator and a popular award-winning professor who personifies exceptional teaching in the classroom.

The event, to be held in the Insight Credit Union Arena at Edmunds Center, signifies the formal opening of the 2025-2026 academic year. All students, faculty and staff are asked to participate, with cultural credit available for students. (All attendees are invited to wear their favorite Stetson Western-style hat.)

Following the ceremony, students, faculty, staff and guests are invited to attend a community lunch, free of charge, in the Lynn Dining Commons and the adjacent Warren and Barbara Carr Stetson Room. (All Stetson faculty, staff and students are asked to bring their IDs for entry.)

During Convocation, expect a measure of pageantry — with faculty wearing academic regalia, a formal processional and designated seating for attendees — plus plenty of trademark enthusiasm and high energy. (After all, the university’s lead cheerleader is President Christopher F. Roellke, PhD.)

In Roellke’s words: “Convocation is always a powerful reminder of why we do what we do — welcoming new Hatters into a community that will challenge, support and inspire them.”

Alumna Keynote Speaker

The engaging alumna is keynote speaker Jessily Ramirez ’08, principal and founder of CureAI Insights, a boutique advisory practice specializing in human-centered design and the implementation of Artificial Intelligence offerings to improve human health.

Ramirez graduated with a Business Administration in Management degree. Today, building on her 17-year trajectory as a health care executive, innovator and knowledge broker across sectors, cultures and generations, she positions sociotechnical teams in the Americas and Europe to generate value for patients, health systems and society. She partners with organizations, innovators and entrepreneurs to solve complex challenges by developing and applying agile evidence-based solutions and tools, expediting readiness and the adoption of life-saving technologies at the bedside.

In addition, Ramirez is founder and chapter lead of KIDS NYC, part of the International Children’s Advisory Network, where she champions patient voice and youth empowerment for participatory design in digital health and health AI. As a sophomore, she was one of eight founding members of Stetson’s Bonner Scholars Program.

Ramirez will talk about how that student experience helped to shape her approach in leading sociotechnical teams toward transformation. And she will share her perspectives on the value of intergenerational learning, the future of work and “why leading with humanity first in a post-AI world is the only sustainable strategy as they pursue purpose not just performance.”

Award-Winning Professor

The award-winning professor is John Riggs, DBA, the 2025 recipient of Stetson’s William Hugh McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award, established in 1974, honors the memory of the former dean, who was credited with providing academic leadership during the university’s post-World War II era.

Riggs, professor of Practice in Marketing, is executive director of Stetson’s Centurion Sales Program. His passion for bridging the gap between academia and practical application inspired him to form “The Center for Translational Research in Business.” Currently, he is developing methods for applying business best practices in patient non-compliance for medicine and pharmacy, a model for practical application in health care settings.

Prior to Stetson, Riggs spent more than 20 years in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry. Aside from Stetson, he is a national and international speaker on evidence-based business practices in professional selling, sales management and translational research in business.

-Michael Candelaria