CLU commencement is on Saturday

California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks will present Newbury Park resident Hank Lacayo with the Exemplar Medallion during undergraduate commencement services on Sat., May 14. The Exemplar Medallion is given to citizens whose lives reflect the mission of CLU to "educate leaders for a global society who are strong in character and judgment, confident in their identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice."

Lacayo served for more than 50 years as a labor leader with the United Auto Workers (UAW), vice president of the California Federation of Labor, and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.

He’s recognized on the national political scene, having served as a labor adviser to several U.S. presidents. Since his retirement from the labor movement, Lacayo has become an activist for a variety of communities in and beyond Ventura County.

Lacayo is president of the Congress of California Seniors and serves his community as adviser to the National Association for the Hispanic Elderly and as a coordinator for the Southern California UAW Retiree Council. He’s also a member of the board of directors for the Ventura County Community Foundation, the Ventura County American Red Cross and other organizations.

Gordon Sprenger, former president of the American Hospital Association and retired president and CEO of Allina Health Systems, will address the bachelor’s degree graduates and their guests during commencement services at CLU at 10:30 a.m. Sat., May 14 in Mt. Clef Stadium. The morning ceremonies will honor the students receiving bachelor’s degrees, and a 2 p.m. ceremony will honor those graduates who are receiving master’s degrees.

Sprenger, who will also receive an honorary degree during the ceremonies, is an authority on questions about healthcare and he’s been a pioneer in discovering ways of delivering affordable healthcare. Along with serving on the corporate boards of Medtronic and St. Paul companies, he’s a consultant to several health systems and hospitals throughout the country.

Charles Maxey, PhD, Dean of CLU’s School of Business, will deliver the address at the graduate commencement services at 2 p.m. Maxey joined the CLU faculty in 1991 following academic appointments at Northwestern University, Loyola University in Chicago and the University of Southern California, where he served as Senior Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Business. Immediately prior to joining CLU’s faculty, he served as visiting professor of management at the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration in Bangkok, Thailand.