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The University of Utah has announced its commencement speaker.
U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald, who is a U. alum, will deliver the address on May 7, school officials announced this week.
President Barack Obama nominated McDonald as the eighth secretary of Veterans Affairs in July. Previously, McDonald was chairman, president and chief executive officer of Procter & Gamble Co., the largest consumer products company in the world.
University President David Pershing praised McDonald as a "true leader who exhibits integrity, character, wisdom and the values needed for success."
McDonald "has a wealth of experience gained from his early days at West Point and storied military career, his leadership at Procter & Gamble and his current influential role," Pershing added in a prepared statement.
An Army veteran, McDonald served in the 82nd Airborne Division. Upon leaving military service, McDonald was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.
He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1975 and earned an MBA from the University of Utah in 1978.
General commencement is scheduled for May 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.