Graduate Commencement Speakers
- 1990 E. Fred Carlisle, provost, Virginia Tech
- 1991 Francis T. Borkowski, president, University of South Florida
- 1992 Raymond Marshall, former U.S. Secretary of Labor
- 1993 Eleanor Baum, dean of engineering, The Cooper Union, New York City
- 1994 Paul E. Torgersen, president,Virginia Tech
- 1995 F.M. Anne McNabb, professor, Virginia Tech
- 1996 (spring) James P. Wightman, Alumni Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech
- 1996 (fall) Paul B. Siegel, University Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech
- 1997 (spring) J. Michael Duncan, W. Thomas Rice Professor and University Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech
- 1997 (fall) George M. Simmons, Alumni Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech
- 1998 (spring) Paul Knox, University Distinguished Professor and dean , College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Virginia Tech
- 1998 (fall) John J. Tyson, University Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech
- 1999 (spring) James K. Mitchell, Charles E. Via Jr. Professor and University Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech
- 1999 (fall) Rosemary Carucci Goss, Residential Property Management Advisory Board Professor, Virginia Tech
- 2000 (spring) Harold E. Burkhart, University Distinguished Professor and head, Department of Forestry, Virginia Tech
- 2000 (fall) Marion Ehrich, professor and co-director, Laboratory for Neurotoxicity Studies, Virginia Tech
- 2001 (spring) Arthur J. Keown, R.B. Pamplin Professor, Virginia Tech
- 2001 (fall) Kenneth L. Reifsnider, professor, Virginia Tech
- 2002 (spring) Lucinda Roy, Alumni Distinguished Professor and director of Creative Writing, Virginia Tech
- 2002 (fall) Paul Antonie “Tony” Distler, Alumni Distinguished Professor and director, School of the Arts, Virginia Tech
- 2003 (spring) Debra W. Stewart, president, Council of Graduate Schools
- 2003 (fall) Walter Rugaber, former president and publisher, The Roanoke Times and a Virginia Tech Presidential Fellow
- 2004 (spring) Orlando L. Taylor, vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School, Howard University
- 2004 (fall) Peter Eyre, former dean, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech
- 2005 (spring) Judith I. Bailey, president, Western Michigan University
- 2005 (fall) Philip S. Thompson, retired vice president of emerging markets, IBM and member, Virginia Tech Board of Visitors
- 2006 (spring) Gaston Caperton, president, College Board
- 2006 (fall) Ben J. Davenport Jr., chairman, First Piedmont Corporation and Davenport Energy and member, Virginia Tech Board of Visitors
- 2007 (spring) Alberto Bustani, president, Monterrey Region of the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico
- 2007 (fall) Michael F. Hochella Jr., University Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech
- 2008 (spring) Tae-sik Lee, Republic of (South) Korea ambassador to the United States
- 2008 (fall) Marc Edwards, Charles Lunsford Professor of Civil Engineering, Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
- 2009 (spring) Nicholas Frank Taubman, president, Mozart Investments; retired chair and CEO, Advance Auto Parts; and former ambassador to Romania
- 2009 (fall) Elsa A. Murano, professor and president-emerita, Texas A&M University
- 2010 (spring) Stephan Bieri, consultant specializing in scientific evaluation and intellectual property and chair of Virginia Tech’s Virginia Bioinformatics Institute
- 2010 (fall) Lori Wagner, manager of Advanced Fibers and Composites for Honeywell International, alumna, and former member of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors
- 2011 (spring) Betty P. Chao, founder, president, and chief executive officer of WESTECH International Inc., and alumna
- 2011 (fall) Jaan Holt, Patrick and Nancy Lathrop Professor of Architecture and director of the Washington Alexandria Architecture Center, National Capital Region, Virginia Tech
- 2012 (spring) Mark G. McNamee. Virginia Tech Senior Vice President and Provost
