By Brent Lyday
Commerce – This Saturday's commencement speakers at Texas A&M University-Commerce are Michele Bobadilla and Iris Lancaster.
Bobadilla is an assistant provost for Hispanic student success at The University of Texas at Arlington and Lancaster serves as a visiting instructor at Texas Southern University.
Bobadilla will be the keynote speaker at the undergraduate commencement for the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business and Technology at 8:30 a.m., and the College of Education and Human Services graduation at
11 a.m. in the Field House. Lancaster will speak at the master s and doctoral ceremony at 3 p.m. when the university will also present Ray Price with an honorary doctorate.
Price is receiving the honorary doctorate for his contributions to the state, region and country, as well as his accomplishments throughout his music career.
Bobadilla joined UTA in June 1996 and has worked in multiple capacities during her tenure. She currently serves as the senior associate vice president for outreach services and community engagement, as well as her position in the provost s office. Prior to UTA, she spent time in the development division with Dallas Public Schools, was the director of the university outreach center in Dallas and worked for 12 years in the Dallas Independent School District.
She is a board and committee member for several community organizations, participates in numerous leadership programs and is involved in many professional organizations. Bobadilla has also claimed multiple honors and awards, including the National LULAC Woman of the Year award in 2004.
Lancaster began her teaching career as an assistant instructor at Texas Southern University in the fall of 2000 before spending three years as an assistant instructor at A&M-Commerce. After a brief stop at San Jacinto Community College, Lancaster spent four years as an adjunct English instructor at Houston Community College prior to her current position with Texas Southern.
Lancaster has written and published four publications since 2003, claimed numerous student and teaching awards and is a member of six professional organizations.
Both Bobadilla and Lancaster have attended A&M-Commerce. Bobadilla earned her master s degree from East Texas State University (now A&M-Commerce) in 1979, and Lancaster will graduate with her doctorate from Texas A&M University-Commerce this month.