CPCC Announces 2011 Spring Commencement Speaker
Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) announced today that Representative Thom Tillis (R), Speaker of the House for the North Carolina House of Representatives, will be the keynote speaker for its upcoming 2011 commencement ceremony, taking place Thursday, May 12 at Bojangles’ Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C.
“CPCC is honored to have Rep. Tillis speak at this year’s commencement ceremony,” said Dr. Tony Zeiss, president of CPCC. “Rep. Tillis’s background is quite varied, he has experience serving in leadership roles, overseeing a variety of industries; he has led business units with hundreds of staff and budgets exceeding $200 million annually; and he has worked in state government. It’s these collective experiences that he will share with our graduates during commencement, giving them invaluable insight as they enter the workforce.”
A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Rep. Tillis relocated from Fairfax, Va., to Cornelius, N.C., in 1998. Since arriving in North Carolina, Rep. Tilllis has been dedicating his life to public service. He has served on the Cornelius Town Board and Cornelius Parts and Recreation Advisory Board and was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2006, representing the 98th District of Mecklenburg County, where he quickly distinguished himself as a hard-working representative.
Since his freshman year in the state government system, he has been appointed to a number of house/senate committees and become known as a representative that can work across the aisle to pass important legislation. His ability to bridge the gap between Republicans and Democrats was rewarded in 2010 when he was nominated by his peers to serve as the Speaker of the House for the N.C. House of Representatives.
A graduate of the University of Maryland, Rep. Tillis currently lives in Northern Mecklenburg County with his wife of 22 years and their two children.
Central Piedmont Community College is the largest community college in North Carolina, offering close to 300 academic degree, customized corporate training, market-focused continuing education, and special interest classes. CPCC is academically, financially and geographically accessible to all citizens of Mecklenburg County. In 2002, the National Alliance of Business named CPCC the Community College of the Year for its response to the workforce and technology needs of local employers and job seekers through innovative educational and training strategies.
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