Rev. George Winzenburg, S.J.
Commencement Speaker
Rev. George Winzenburg, S.J., a native of suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a Catholic priest and a member of the
Society of Jesus ( Jesuit). He was ordained in 1974 and has exhibited a deep commitment and dedication to educating
and assisting students with their intellectual pursuits and growth.
Rev. Winzenburg worked in campus ministry at Marquette University and as provincial assistant for Native
American Ministry and Pastoral Ministry in Wisconsin. As president of Marquette University High School in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he began the school's Alumni Service Corps, founded with the belief that young people
should serve as volunteers in the classroom, school community and neighborhood. After a 10-year tenure as
president at Marquette University High School, he became pastor of Gesu Parish in Milwaukee.
Today, Rev. Winzenburg is president of Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in
South Dakota, where he served on the school's board of directors from 2003-2009. He was director of the Sioux
Spiritual Center in Plainville, South Dakota, and led the Ministry Formation Program for the Diocese of Rapid
City, which prepares men and women for ministry in their respective parishes as lay ministers or deacons.
Red Cloud Indian School was founded in 1888 by Chief Red Cloud and the Black Robes ( Jesuits), who
envisioned a school for learning on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation that would both withstand the test of time
and honor the sacredness of the Black Hills and the canyons of the Badlands. Red Cloud Indian School holds the
distinct honor of being awarded more Gates Millennium Scholarships than any other school in America. The school
educates nearly 600 students from kindergarten through grade 12 and is a beacon of hope for the Lakota children,
despite its location in one of the poorest counties in the United States.
Rev. Winzenburg has a Master of Divinity from Weston College School of Theology in Cambridge,
Massachusetts; a master's degree in counseling education from Boston University; and a bachelor's degree in history
from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama.
Dr. Joshua Hamilton, '80
Honorary Doctor of Science
Dr. Joshua Hamilton has been an active faculty member, scientist, administrator and professional leader in the
scientific community since receiving his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bridgewater State in 1980.
Dr. Hamilton has made major contributions in the field of genetic toxicology, authoring more than 70 articles
and professional papers. He has mentored countless students and colleagues and has worked with the National
Institutes of Health, the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Association for the Advancement
of Science and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board.
Since 2008, Dr. Hamilton has been the chief academic and scientific officer at the Marine Biological Laboratory
in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. His research interests are in the areas of molecular toxicology and toxicogenomics,
focusing in particular on the effects of toxic metals, polycyclic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, endocrine
disruptors and other agents of concern in the environment on gene expression, and the role of such agents on
one's health.
Dr. Hamilton has a Master of Science in Genetics and a PhD in Genetic Toxicology from Cornell University.
He has been recognized by numerous organizations for his accomplishments in teaching and research. He has been
a professor at Dartmouth College and is currently a member of the faculty in the Pathobiology Graduate Program at
Brown University.
Dr. Hamilton has been a trustee of the Bridgewater State University Foundation since 2011 and is committed to
increasing the depth and breadth of educational opportunities for Bridgewater students, administrators and faculty,
as well as community partners in Southeastern Massachusetts.
Student Speaker
Giselle Valdes is a special education major who will graduate Cum Laude with a concentration in communication disorders. As a first-generation Cuban-American, this milestone has special significance to her and her family. Giselle is a member of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association and Kappa Delta Pi, an International Honor Society in Education. For almost 5 years, she has served our nation and local communities as a soldier in the United States Army National Guard. Giselle's passion is to continue her education to become a bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist in a hospital setting.
