St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, Disney Executive Sybil Crum Announced as FAMU Spring Commencement Speakers

Florida A&M University (FAMU) alumni, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken T. Welch, and Disneyland Resort Vice President for Marketing and Commercial Strategy Sybil Crum, will address spring 2022 graduates on April 29 and April 30, respectively.

At the 6 p.m. Friday, April 29 ceremony, Welch will address graduates from the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health, School of Business and Industry and the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities. A military commissioning ceremony is also scheduled for Friday evening.

At the 9 a.m. Saturday ceremony, Crum will address graduates from the College of Law, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, College of Education, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, School of Journalism & Graphic Communication, School of Nursing, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Science and Technology, School of the Environment, and School of Architecture and Engineering Technology.

“It’s a privilege to have two outstanding Florida A&M University alumni address our spring graduates. Both Disney Vice President Sybil Crum and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch are barrier-breakers and pioneers in the finest Rattler tradition.  Their accomplishments and their message will inspire our graduates to pursue excellence as well,” said FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D. 

The son of a St. Petersburg City Councilman, Welch served on the Pinellas County Commission for 20 years. During his tenure, he focused on economic development, transportation, equity, housing, criminal justice reform and fighting poverty. Following his election last fall, Welch was sworn in as St. Petersburg’s first Black mayor in January. After receiving his bachelor’s from the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg, Welch earned an MBA from FAMU. He also worked as an accountant for Florida Power Corporation. He lives in his hometown with Donna, his wife of 30 years, and their two daughters.

Crum is the vice president of Marketing & Commercial Strategy for Disneyland Resort.  She is responsible for leading the team accountable for developing consumer insight-driven marketing and commercial strategies to deliver planned revenue, attendance, and room night goals for both consumer direct and sales channel marketing. Previously, she was director of marketing strategy for Walt Disney World Commercial Management. Before joining Disney nearly two decades ago, Crum was a senior manager at American Airlines for eight years.

Crum graduated from FAMU in 1994 with a bachelor’s in business economics before earning a master’s degree in marketing and strategy from Purdue University two years later. Crum is the mother of son, Kristopher. Her husband, Kevin Crum, is a member of the FAMU Class of 1993.

Tickets are not required for the Spring 2022 Commencement ceremonies. However, guests are expected to remain seated during the events and standing will not be permitted in the concourse. The clear bag policy will be enforced. The ceremony can also be viewed on YouTube at FAMUTube1887 or Facebook at FAMU1887.

For more information visit: https://www.famu.edu/students/commencement/index.php.