Oberlin Announces 2026 Commencement Honorees

Oberlin College and Conservatory will recognize six leaders in public service, scholarship, the arts, and community at its 2026 commencement ceremony on May 23.

Cecilia A. Conrad, an economist, philanthropic leader, and founding CEO of Lever for Change, will receive an honorary doctor of humanities degree before delivering the keynote address to Oberlin’s Class of 2026. As a former managing director of the MacArthur Foundation, she led the MacArthur Fellows Program—popularly known as the “Genius Grant"— focused on identifying and elevating some of the most creative minds of our time.

Oberlin will also present honorary degrees to alumna Chloe E. Bird ’86, a leading sociologist in women’s health, who will receive an honorary doctor of science; internationally acclaimed soprano Christine Goerke, who will receive an honorary doctor of music; and Carla D. Hayden, former Librarian of Congress, who will receive an honorary doctor of humanities.

Two others will be recognized for their exceptional service: Rosa Gadsden will receive the Award for Distinguished Service to the Community for her years-long impact in Oberlin and Lorain County, and Leah Modigliani ’86, a pioneering finance leader and longtime supporter of Oberlin, will receive the Alumni Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Oberlin Alumni Association.

This year's honorees are:

Chloe E. Bird ’86, PhD, Honorary Doctor of Science

Chloe Bird is a sociologist whose work has shaped national conversations on women’s health. She is director of the Center for Women’s Health, Sex Differences, and Population Health at Tufts Medical Center, as well as the Sara Murray Jordan Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and a senior sociologist at RAND. Her research has reshaped how scholars and policymakers understand the structural forces that influence health, with a particular focus on women’s health and health equity.

Bird’s work, which examines how social policies, institutional priorities, and access to care shape health outcomes, is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and Women’s Health Access Matters. Her influential book, Gender and Health: The Effects of Constrained Choice and Social Policies, offers a groundbreaking framework linking social and biological factors to show how families, workplaces, communities, and public policies affect opportunities to live healthy lives.

A dedicated Oberlin alumna, Bird has remained deeply engaged with the college, generously sharing her time and expertise through public lectures and conversations with students. Her work connects closely with Oberlin’s global health and sociology programs and reflects the college’s belief that one person can change the world.

She holds both her master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has played a key role in shaping national research agendas. She served on a National Academies of Sciences committee reviewing NIH funding for women’s health research and as a senior advisor in the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, helping guide efforts to address longstanding gaps in scientific knowledge and care.

A Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Health Behavior, Bird received the American Sociological Association’s Distinguished Career Award in 2021. Throughout her career, she has worked not only to advance research but to translate evidence into institutional and policy change to improve health for women and men alike.

Christine Goerke, Honorary Doctor of Music

An internationally acclaimed dramatic soprano, Christine Goerke has built an extraordinary career spanning more than three decades on the world’s leading opera and concert stages. Known for her powerful, expressive voice and commanding stage presence, she has appeared with many of the most respected opera houses and orchestras, collaborating with conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Robert Shaw, Christian Thielemann, Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Mark Elder, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Semyon Bychkov.

A frequent presence at the Metropolitan Opera, Goerke has also performed at the Bayreuth Festspiele, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Paris Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, and Houston Grand Opera, among others. Her repertoire reflects a rare artistic evolution, from early work in Baroque and classical repertoire to the great dramatic roles of Wagner, Strauss, and Puccini.

In addition to her celebrated performing career, Goerke is a passionate educator and mentor. She has worked extensively with emerging artists through masterclasses and residencies at leading institutions, including the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where faculty still point to her masterclass as one of the most impactful in recent years. She has also taught at the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, the Eastman School of Music, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and has mentored young artists through programs such as Glimmerglass Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Washington National Opera, and the Aspen Music Festival. Her work with the Schmidt Foundation further reflects her dedication to supporting the next generation of singers through both artistic guidance and financial support.

From 2021 to 2024, Goerke served as associate artistic director of Detroit Opera, where she played a key role in reimagining the company’s Resident Artist Program. She continues to expand her artistic leadership through new initiatives, including the launch of Detroit’s Classic Opera Series at Music Hall. In fall 2026, she will join the faculty of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

Carla D. Hayden, PhD, Honorary Doctor of Humanities

A pioneering librarian and visionary leader, Carla Hayden served as the 14th Librarian of Congress from 2016 to 2025. Nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she was the first woman, the first Black person, and the first professional librarian to hold the position. During her tenure, she transformed the Library of Congress into a more open and accessible institution, expanding public engagement and dramatically increasing access to its vast collections through digitization. Although appointed to a 10-year term, she was fired from her position by President Donald Trump on May 8, 2025, in an email. 

Two months later, Hayden was appointed a senior fellow at the Mellon Foundation, where she continues her commitment to expanding access to knowledge and cultural resources. Respected for her integrity, humility, and grace, she has consistently focused her work on advancing equity, strengthening communities, and ensuring that knowledge remains accessible to all.

Prior to her role as Librarian of Congress, Hayden had built a distinguished career focusing on the power of libraries to strengthen communities. She served as executive director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore for more than two decades, where her leadership established the library as a vital civic institution. During moments of crisis, including the unrest following the death of Freddie Gray in 2015, she made the courageous decision to keep branches open, reinforcing the library’s role as a safe and trusted community space. Earlier in her career, she was an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Science and held leadership roles at the Chicago Public Library.

Hayden earned her bachelor’s degree at Roosevelt University and her master’s and doctoral degrees in library science at the University of Chicago. A national leader in the profession, she served as president of the American Library Association, where she championed “equity of access” and spoke out in defense of intellectual freedom and user privacy. Her advocacy and leadership have made her a role model for generations of librarians, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, and she has long supported efforts to diversify the field.

Rosa Gadsden, Award for Distinguished Service to the Community

A dedicated community leader and lifelong resident of Oberlin, Rosa Gadsden has made a lasting impact through her service, leadership, and commitment to supporting others. A graduate of Oberlin High School and former member of the Oberlin School Board, she has long been engaged in strengthening the local community.

For nearly a decade, Gadsden has worked at Oberlin Community Services, moving from her early role as a gardener in the People’s Garden to her current position as volunteer and outreach coordinator. In this role, she oversees the organization’s food pantry, trains and supports volunteers, and helps lead initiatives that serve hundreds of Lorain County residents each year. In the past fiscal year alone, she coordinated more than 200 volunteers who contributed thousands of hours of service.

Gadsden also plays a central role in organizing community events, including the annual Juneteenth cookout and the Jaqui Willis Back-to-School supply drive, helping ensure that essential resources and moments of connection are accessible to everyone. This work provides meaningful opportunities for Oberlin College students to engage with the broader community while addressing critical needs.

Known for her warmth, leadership, deep knowledge of community resources, and for bringing people together, Gadsden is also active with the Mount Zion Church choir. Through her tireless efforts and genuine care for others, she has enriched the lives of countless individuals and exemplifies the spirit of service that defines Oberlin.

Leah Modigliani ’86, Alumni Medal

Leah Modigliani graduated from Oberlin with high honors in economics. When her daughter later enrolled, she became the fifth generation in their maternal line to graduate from the college, reflecting a deep and enduring family connection to Oberlin.

Modigliani earned an MBA at Harvard Business School and went on to a distinguished career in finance. At Morgan Stanley, she co-developed the M2 measure of risk-adjusted return, which is now an industry standard included in Chartered Financial Analyst materials, journals, and textbooks. She also developed a global stock risk-rating system for the firm. Over the course of her career, she has served as a portfolio strategist, research analyst, portfolio manager, and executive director, advising mutual funds, hedge funds, pension funds, foundations, and endowments on asset allocation, portfolio construction, and investment strategy.

She has been featured in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Money Magazine, and CNN, and she has served as a co-host on CNBC. She has also held positions at the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank, Neuberger Berman, and Bridgewater Associates.

A dedicated and longtime supporter of the college, Modigliani served for 24 years on the Oberlin College Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees (as an external member), including six years as co-chair. During her tenure, the college’s endowment more than doubled to over $1 billion while supporting substantial annual withdrawals for the operating budget.

A former co-op member, Modigliani later served as an advisor to OSCA student leadership. Committed to social justice, she is a pro bono consultant to numerous nonprofits, president of the board of Youth Communication, and an advisor to NYU’s Hidden Legacies Project: "Slavery, Race, and Contemporary Institutions in the United States." She lives with her family in New York City.

The Alumni Medal is the highest honor awarded by the Oberlin Alumni Association, recognizing individuals who exemplify outstanding, sustained, or unique service to Oberlin College.