Cole '92, Uzzell '91 to Serve as Fall 2026 Commencement Speakers

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Nov. 2, 2026) – Two accomplished North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University graduates – Shawn Cole and Janeen Uzzell – will serve as Fall 2026 Commencement keynote speakers, university officials announced today.

Cole ‘92, vice president of Global Sales at Delta Air Lines, is the keynote speaker for the graduate student ceremony Friday, Dec. 11, at 6 p.m. in First Horizon Coliseum at the Greensboro Complex.

Cole received his B.S. in accounting from N.C. A&T and his Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. A recognized leader in the aviation industry, he is known for his commitment to servant leadership and community engagement. He actively supports nonprofits focused on higher education and pediatric cancer research such as the Atlanta Children’s Shelter and Cure Childhood Cancer. In addition, he serves on the boards of Delta Flight Museum, Atlanta Community Food Bank and Leadership Atlanta.

At Delta Air Lines, Cole leads a team dedicated to driving premium revenue growth and strengthening Delta’s position with its international joint venture partners. His focus is on delivering innovative solutions and strategic relationships that enhance customer value and market share across global markets.

Since joining Delta in 2008, Cole has held executive roles across multiple divisions. He previously served as vice president of Delta Cargo, managing a $1 billion global business and a team of 2,500 professionals, and as vice president of Finance and Corporate Planning, where he oversaw enterprise financial strategy, capital planning and long-term forecasting. His career began in finance and operations leadership roles at The Coca-Cola System and as an auditor with Arthur Andersen LLP.

Uzzell ‘91, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and CEO of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), is the keynote speaker for the baccalaureate student ceremony Saturday, Dec. 12, at 9 a.m. in First Horizon Coliseum.

Uzzell earned her B.S. in mechanical engineering from A&T and MBA focused on management and international business from Fairleigh Dickinson University. A globally recognized voice in STEM, she drives strategic initiatives to increase representation and inclusion across innovative fields and is dedicated to shaping policy and creating opportunities that advance equitable talent development in tech and engineering.

Prior to NSBE, Uzzell served as chief operating officer at the Wikimedia Foundation, where she not only oversaw the operations of one of the world’s most visited websites but also launched the Wikimedia Knowledge Equity Fund, a $4.5 million initiative aimed at addressing racial inequities in access to free knowledge. Her extensive career includes almost two decades at General Electric (GE), where she was instrumental in accelerating the representation of women in technology roles and leading high-impact initiatives in healthcare and emerging markets across Africa.

Uzzell has also served as an advisor on the White House Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), where she continued to help shape national policy. She sits on the boards of Mercy Ships International, Maryland Aerospace and Technology Commission, and DFree Global Foundation, with a recent addition to the Forbes Business Council, further extending her impact in the global health, engineering and equity spaces. Additionally, she has been recognized by ADWEEK as one of the Top Black Women Trailblazers in Tech and a Woman to Watch by 50/50 Women on Boards, and honored with the United Nations Global Leadership Award.

More than 1,200 students, including nearly 400 graduate students, will participate during the ceremonies, which will be livestreamed.

Processionals will begin at 5:45 p.m. for the graduate student ceremony and 8:45 a.m. for the undergraduate student ceremony.

Media interested in covering commencement in person should submit a request, including complete contact information, to jtorok@ncat.edu by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20.