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FVSU Announces Fall 2022 Commencement Speaker

Posted on Nov 28, 2022

President and CEO of Atrium Health Navicent Delvecchio S. Finley will be the featured speaker for Fort Valley State University’s fall 2022 commencement, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. 

 Finley, an Atlanta, Georgia native, joined Atrium Heath Navicent in 2021, following Navicent’s strategic combination with Atrium Health. With more than 20 years of healthcare leadership experience, Finley is responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction for the Macon, Georgia-based 637-bed hospital system. 

 Finley has been recognized by industry peers for several awards and commendations, including Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Minorities in Healthcare Watch List and its Up and Comers Award. He’s also been included in Becker’s Hospital Review Top Healthcare Executives under 40 and received the Robert S. Hudgens Young Healthcare Executive of the Year Award by the American College of Healthcare Executives organization.  

 The 2022 fall commencement ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Health and Physical Education (HPE) Complex. Guests are asked to be seated by 9 a.m. All graduates participating in the ceremony will receive a maximum of ten tickets for their guests. The clear bag policy will be enforced.  

 FVSU President Paul Jones commended Finley for breaking down barriers as one of the few black healthcare CEOs in the country and for leading efforts to address racial bias and inequities in healthcare. 

 “We are delighted to have one of Georgia’s most influential leaders to provide words of inspiration to our graduates,” Jones said. “Commencement ceremonies are a time to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter, and we look forward to our graduates leaving motivated and encouraged for their next chapter.” 

 Finley received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Emory University in Atlanta before obtaining a master’s degree in public policy from the Sanford Institute for Public Policy at Duke University in Durham, N.C. Through hard work and a solid educational foundation, Finley quickly established himself within the healthcare industry, becoming a first-time CEO in his mid-30s. 

 In 2021, Finley was named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Diversity Leaders in Healthcare and was included on Georgia Trend’s GEORGIA 500 list of most influential leaders of 2022. 

 To view the ceremony online and for more information, visit www.fvsu.edu/commencement2022.  

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