More than 1,000 Missouri University of Science and Technology graduates will be awarded degrees during three upcoming ceremonies. Dr. Nadine Alameh, executive director of the Taylor Geospatial Institute, will speak at the May 16 ceremony for Ph.D. graduates. The Honorable Mike Parson, 57th governor of Missouri, will speak at both May 17 ceremonies.

All three ceremonies will be held at the Gale Bullman Building, located at 10th Street and Bishop Avenue in Rolla. The first ceremony, for Ph.D. graduates, will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, May 16. The other two ceremonies, for bachelor’s and master’s degree recipients, will begin at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, May 17. Saturday’s ceremonies are divided by discipline.

Each event will be livestreamed via Missouri S&T’s Facebook page and on Zoom for those guests needing closed captioning. For more details about commencement ceremonies, visit commencement.mst.edu.

Speaker biographies

Dr. Nadine Alameh is executive director of the Taylor Geospatial Institute, a geospatial research collaborative based in St. Louis and the Midwest. She is an award-winning and globally recognized thought leader in geospatial technologies and their intersection with some of today’s most pressing global challenges, including climate resilience, sustainability and the future of intelligent infrastructure.

Alameh is mostly known for championing interoperability, collaboration, entrepreneurship and bridging technology and policy as CEO of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), as board member of the United Nations Geospatial Experts Group, as appointed advisor to the Department of Interior Geospatial Advisory Committee, and most recently as inaugural executive director of the Taylor Geospatial Institute.

Alameh has received multiple leadership awards: OGC Service Award in 2024, named one of the St. Louis Business Journal’s Most Influential Business Women of 2024, Women in Technology Leadership in 2023, Geospatial World Diversity Champion in 2022 and Geomatics Canada Leadership in 2019.

She holds a Ph.D. and two master’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

The Honorable Mike Parson served as the 57th governor of Missouri from 2018 to 2025, following his previous service as lieutenant governor, state senator, state representative and sheriff of Polk County. A native of Wheatland, Missouri, Governor Parson is a U.S. Army veteran and third-generation farmer who has dedicated his career to public service and supporting Missouri’s workforce, infrastructure and education systems.

During his tenure, Governor Parson focused on strengthening the state’s economy, expanding job training opportunities, and enhancing broadband access across Missouri. He played a key role in championing the Missouri Protoplex and in securing Missouri’s designation as a federal Tech Hub, advancing innovation and economic development statewide.

Governor Parson and his wife, Teresa, have been married since 1985 and are proud parents, grandparents and, most recently, great-grandparents. They reside in Bolivar, Missouri, where they continue to operate their family farm.