Politics & Government
Openly Gay U.S. Official to be UMd.'s Graduation Speaker
John Berry, the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, is the highest-ranking openly gay presidential appointee, The Washington Post reported.
John Berry, the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, will be the commencement speaker for ’s graduating class on May 20.
The highest-ranking openly gay presidential appointee is expected to discuss being gay, among other themes, The Washington Post reported.
Berry, a Rockville native and a University of Maryland alumnus, was the first choice for the role among student representatives on the commencement speaker committee, The Diamondback reported.
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Berry has led discussions on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, and in 2010 he recorded his own message for the “It Gets Better” project, an online collection of videos created to prevent suicides among LGBT youth, The Diamondback reported.
Berry graduated from the University of Maryland in 1980 with a bachelor of arts degree in government and politics.
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Commencement will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 20 at the Comcast Center. The ceremony will broadcast on UMTV in PG and Montgomery Counties.
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