Commencement Speaker

Representative Peter J. Koutoujian

Representative Peter J. Koutoujian has spent more than a decade on Beacon Hill working to enhance the lives of all Massachusetts residents, representing the 10th Middlesex District in the Massachusetts State Legislature.

Koutoujian, 48, has held several leadership positions in the House of Representatives during his tenure and is currently the House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Financial Services. The Committee has jurisdiction over banking and all insurance matters, including home, life, auto and health. In this capacity, he has overseen the passage of legislation to maintain the auto insurance board of appeals and legislation codifying the SAFE Act.

Representative Koutoujian has built a legislative resume that includes much of the Commonwealth's recent landmark legislation. He worked alongside top legislative leaders in crafting the historic universal health insurance reform law that ensures all Massachusetts residents have access to affordable and quality health care. He also directed the passage of the successful statewide workplace smoking ban, led the effort to ensure all rape victims are offered timely access to emergency contraception, fought for legislation expanding stem cell research, and has worked to increase awareness regarding suicide prevention.

A lawyer by trade, Koutoujian served as a Middlesex County prosecutor before being elected to the Massachusetts Legislature in 1996. He has worked as an adjunct professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Legal Ethics at the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, and as a professor of American Government at Bentley University in Waltham.

Representative Koutoujian earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in psychology from Bridgewater State College, received his Juris Doctorate Degree from the New England School of Law, and a Masters Degree in Public Affairs from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Koutoujian is a life-long resident of Waltham and is deeply committed to improving his community. He serves on the boards of several local organizations, including the West Suburban Samaritans, the Waltham Boys   Girls Club, the Newton Boys   Girls Club, REACH Beyond Domestic Violence and the Newton Community Service Center.

He and his wife Elizabeth Cerda Koutoujian have three young children. Peter Cerda Koutoujian was born in July 2003, Cristian Cerda Koutoujian was born in January 2005, and Isabel Cerda Koutoujian arrived in April 2009.

Student Speaker

The Student Speaker selection committee is pleased to announce that Mr. Greg Reynolds from Dighton, MA will deliver the student address on Friday, January 29, 2010. Greg is a criminal justice major and an Iraq war veteran.

Last Modified: January 20, 2010