Albany State University will honor 775 graduates at two fall commencement ceremonies at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Albany James H. Gray Sr. Civic Center. Processions will begin at 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., president and chief executive officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, will serve as the keynote speaker at the morning ceremony for candidates in the College of Arts & Humanities, the College of Education and the College of Sciences & Technology.

Named one of the “Power 100” by Ebony Magazine in its list of the 100 most influential African Americans a year after assuming the role of president and CEO, Taylor leads the TMCF, the only national organization representing nearly 300,000 students attending this country’s 47 publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities. With approximately 80 percent of all HBCU students attending TMCF member-schools, Taylor leads an organization responsible for providing a robust and diverse pipeline of talented workers and future leaders.

Werhner V. Washington, plant manager at Proctor & Gamble (P&G) Albany, will serve as the keynote speaker at the afternoon ceremony for candidates in the College of Business and the Darton College of Health Professions.

Washington has been employed with P&G since 1984. P&G is a global, publicly traded Fortune 500 company that serves nearly 5 billion people around the world with its brands. P&G brands include Alwaysâ, Bountyâ, Charminâ, Crestâ, Dawnâ, Febrezeâ and Gainâ, among others. A passionate community supporter, Washington serves on the Albany Technical College Board of Directors. He is also co-chair of the Albany-Dougherty Industry Roundtable and a youth mentor.

The morning commencement ceremony will also include a U.S. Army ROTC commissioning ceremony, following the conferring of degrees.