Albany State University to Hold Spring 2022 Commencement May 7

Albany State University (ASU) will honor over 600 graduates at the spring 2022 commencement ceremony. The event will take place on Saturday, May 7 at the Albany Civic Center at 10 a.m. Doors will open at 9 a.m. 

Christopher C. Womack, Chairman, President and CEO of Georgia Power, will serve as the commencement speaker. Mr. Womack leads Georgia Power in serving its 2.6 million customers across the state. The company is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation's leading energy providers.

Prior to his current role, he served as executive vice president and president of external affairs for Southern Company where he led overall external positioning and branding efforts including the company’s public policy strategies and oversaw the company’s governmental and regulatory affairs, corporate communication initiatives and other external and strategic business engagements.

A native of Greenville, Alabama, Womack joined Southern Company in 1988 and has held several leadership positions within Southern Company and its subsidiaries. He has served as executive vice president of external affairs at Georgia Power and senior vice president and senior production officer of Southern Company Generation, where he was responsible for coal, gas, and hydro generation for Georgia Power and Savannah Electric. Womack also served as senior vice president of human resources and chief people officer at Southern Company, as well as senior vice president of public relations and corporate services at Alabama Power.

Prior to joining Southern Company, Womack worked on Capitol Hill for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington DC. He served as a legislative aide for former Congressman Leon E. Panetta and as staff director for the Subcommittee on Personnel and Police for the Committee on House Administration.

Womack is a member of the board of directors of Essential Utilities, Inc. and Invesco Ltd. He currently chairs the board of the East Lake Foundation, is on the Georgia Ports Authority board, is on the national board of The First Tee, serves on the Georgia Historical Society Board of Curators, and is the chair of the board for the Alliance to Save Energy. Womack has chaired the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau board and the Atlanta Sports Council. He has received numerous honors, awards and recognitions.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree from The American University. He completed the Stanford Executive Program in 2001.

The spring commencement ceremony will include a U.S. Army ROTC commissioning ceremony following the conferring of degrees. Additional commencement related activities are listed below:

• Spring 2022 Nursing Pinning Ceremony, 4 p.m., Thursday, May 5, Building C, room 266 (West). The program will recognize 123 senior nursing students.
  
  
• Spring 2022 Health Sciences Pinning Ceremony, 2 p.m., Thursday, May 5, Building C, room 266 (West). The program will recognize 43 students who are completing various health science programs.

• Spring 2022 Professional Embracing Novice (PENning) Ceremony, 5 p.m., May 6, Billy. C. Black Auditorium, East Campus. The program is designed to prepare future educators for the transition from college to the classroom. During the ceremony, veteran educators will pin the 26 novice educators who are entering the education field.