Skip To Translation Selection Skip To Top Navigation Skip To Content Skip To Footer
University of the District of Columbia Facebook University of the District of Columbia Instagram University of the District of Columbia LinkedIn University of the District of Columbia Twitter/X University of the District of Columbia YouTube
Students in cap and gown at the 2024 UDC commencement ceremony

2026 Commencement Keynote Speaker: Muriel Bowser

Mayor of Washington, DC

Muriel Bowser

Muriel Bowser headshot

Muriel Bowser is the seventh elected mayor of Washington, DC. She has a strong record of creating a bold urban policy agenda, making tough decisions in a high-stakes environment, and shaping a diverse economy.

Mayor Bowser has served her hometown in elected office since 2004 as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (2004–2006), Member of the DC Council (2007–2015), and Mayor since 2015. She is only the second person elected three times as mayor of Washington, DC, and the first African American woman elected to three, four-year terms as mayor of an American city.

Since taking office, Mayor Bowser has reset DC’s global and national competitiveness, sped up affordable housing production, led the city through a global pandemic, diversified the DC economy, and cemented DC’s role as the Sports Capital. Mayor Bowser has delivered transformational economic development projects, creating jobs and housing for DC residents—including at Audi Field, the CareFirst Arena, St. Elizabeths East, Walter Reed, McMillan, Skyland, The Wharf, and soon at the RFK campus.

She has invested in programs and policies that allow more families to live and thrive across all eight wards. Those investments have led to consistent enrollment growth in public schools, increased student achievement, a record high graduation rate, and new opportunities for students, such as the new Advanced Technical Centers. Mayor Bowser has long championed the University of the District of Columbia as a vital educational and workforce engine, and as Mayor, invested more than $1.3 billion to expand student supports, modernize facilities, and strengthen pathways to careers for DC residents.

Mayor Bowser is a proud fifth-generation Washingtonian and daughter of a UDC alum. She tells everyone that there’s only one job better than being mayor of her hometown, and that’s being Miranda’s mom. She and Miranda call Ward 4 home.

Mayor Bowser holds a Bachelor of Arts from Chatham University and a Master of Public Policy from the American University.

Back to Top
Take The Next Steps, Today!
Apply Now Visit UDC