Penn State Harrisburg to hold spring 2026 commencement May 9

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Penn State Harrisburg will hold its spring 2026 commencement ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, at the Giant Center in Hershey.

A livestream of the commencement ceremony for the benefit of graduates’ family members who may not be able to attend in person will be available. Visit the website for more ceremony details and the livestream link.

Benjamin Kirshner, the inaugural chief transformation and opportunity officer for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, will serve as keynote speaker at Penn State Harrisburg's spring 2026 commencement ceremony.

Originally from Philadelphia, Kirshner has become one of the most successful executives in the highly dynamic digital marketing industry. In 2004, he founded Elite SEM, a New York City startup that later became known as Tinuiti. He relocated the company to Philadelphia in 2010 and has lived there ever since.

Tinuiti continued to expand through the purchase of three additional agencies, growing to a workforce of over 700 employees by 2020, when it was acquired by New Mountain Capital. Tinuiti now employs over 1,200 employees across the United States.

Kirshner and his company have received numerous accolades and awards from leading business publications and websites. In 2017, Tinuiti was featured on the "Today" show as the No. 1 workplace for millennial employees. In 2018, Kirshner was ranked the "12th Best CEO" in the U.S. by Glassdoor.

Kirshner has taught digital marketing at New York University and Harvard Business School. In 2023, he joined Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration in his current role as chief transformation officer, leading the Office of Transformation and Opportunity. In this role, he works to streamline government processes, reduce bureaucratic hurdles, and foster a business-friendly environment that makes Pennsylvania a premier destination for innovation and growth.

Karyme Font will serve as student speaker. During the ceremony, Font, of Philadelphia, will receive a bachelor of science in communication sciences and disorders.

As a Penn State 2+2 plan student, Font held multiple leadership and service roles that supported student engagement and community building across two campuses, Penn State Abington and Penn State University Park.

At Penn State Abington, she worked with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and held leadership positions in the Latine Student Organization and Sister2Sister. During her time at Penn State Harrisburg, she contributed to the School of Humanities, the Communication Sciences and Disorders program, and the Office of Student Engagement, while also serving as a campus tour guide. In addition, she served as president of the campus chapter of the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association and completed an international internship through Penn State’s Perrault Fellows Program.

Font said these experiences allowed her to foster meaningful connections while preparing her to serve her community. With a passion for speech-language pathology and expanding access to bilingual services, Font said she plans to pursue graduate studies at West Chester University, with the goal of providing compassionate, culturally responsive care to diverse populations.

Laura Feibush, assistant professor of rhetoric and composition in the School of Humanities, will serve as faculty speaker. She is the recipient of Penn State Harrisburg’s 2026 Teaching Excellence Award.

Feibush was honored for demonstrating exceptional teaching excellence through her innovative leadership in rhetoric and composition, advancing generative AI (artificial intelligence) literacy and inclusive, student-centered pedagogy. Through the redesign of core writing courses, nationally recognized research, and mentorship of faculty, she has enhanced writing instruction and equipped students with critical skills for the modern landscape.

Her nominators said that her impactful teaching and scholarship have elevated both student learning and the broader academic community.

Feibush, who joined Penn State Harrisburg in 2022, earned her bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College and her master’s degree and doctoral degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research, which focuses on listening as rhetorical praxis, has been published in journals such as Peitho, Composition Forum, and Literacy in Composition Studies. Her book, “Gestural Listening In and Beyond the Classroom,” was published in April 2026 by the Utah State University Press.