Commencement Speakers

Hon. Adrienne Konigar Macklin (Ret.)
Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa

The Hon. Adrienne Konigar Macklin is a distinguished leader whose career exemplifies sustained excellence in public service, law, and educational equity. For nearly four decades, she has served as counsel to urban school districts, institutions of higher education, and governmental agencies, providing strategic legal guidance at the intersection of law, education, and social policy.

Ms. Konigar Macklin has devoted her professional life to protecting civil rights within educational settings, with a focus on expanding opportunity for unhoused students, students with disabilities, and children impacted by incarceration, foster care, and poverty. She served for more than 14 years as President of the Pomona Unified School Board and has held appointments to the Los Angeles County Commission on Families and Children and the California legislatively chartered Mervyn M. Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute at CSU Dominguez Hills.

She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and holds a BA in Social Ecology from UC Irvine in conjunction with Dartmouth College. In 2010, she was appointed to the California state court bench by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She has served as President of both the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and the California Association of Black Lawyers, and is the 2024 recipient of the Langston Bar Association Lifetime Achievement Award. She is also an award-winning mixed media artist.

Juanita Dawson, PhD
MS, Management of Information Systems, 2005;
PhD, Information Systems and Technology, 2024

Juanita Dawson serves as Director of Cybersecurity and Compliance at Raytheon Technologies, providing strategic leadership for initiatives in security, cyber intelligence, risk management, and business continuity within the Digital Technologies organization. She works closely with internal and external partners to ensure compliance with local, state, federal, international, and industry regulations.

Dawson is an active board member with Girl Scouts Greater Los Angeles, the AARP Executive Council, the CSU Dominguez Hills Computer Science Advisory Board, and the Inland Valley Newspaper Advisory Board. Her civic involvement includes service with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, The Links, Incorporated, and Top Ladies of Distinction, Incorporated.

Her research centers on privacy, cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and system interoperability, and she has presented internationally. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from CGU in 2021 and joined the CGU Board of Trustees in 2022. Dawson holds an MS in Management of Information Systems (2005) and a PhD in Information Systems and Technology with a focus on cybersecurity (2024), both from Claremont Graduate University.

MaryAnn Ngozi Obidike
DrPH, Community & Global Health, 2026

MaryAnn Ngozi Obidike is a proud first-generation African graduate scholar from Imo State, Nigeria, completing her Doctor of Public Health at CGU’s School of Community and Global Health. As a senior public health strategist with over a decade of experience, she brings a powerful combination of resilience, systems leadership, and global advocacy to her work.

At the Community Translational Research Institute/Heluna Health, MaryAnn serves as Project Manager for the IEHP Community Health Worker Services Contract, overseeing implementation, quality management, and community engagement in managed care delivery. Prior to her doctoral work, she held leadership positions with ActionAid International Nigeria, Catholic Relief Services, and AIDS Alliance, directing programs funded by USAID, DFID, and the Ford Foundation spanning child protection, HIV response, and gender mainstreaming.

At CGU, she served as President of the SCGH Student Association Board (2024–2025) and was a pioneering President of the Union of International African Students. She serves on the UNA-USA board as Co-Chair of its Women’s Affinity Group and UN Delegate. Her leadership is grounded in the belief that education represents both achievement and responsibility.