{"293551":{"#nid":"293551","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Celebrates 247th Commencement","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EApproximately 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students will celebrate the Georgia Institute of Technology\u2019s 247th commencement with three ceremonies. The Institute will award bachelor\u2019s, master\u2019s and doctoral degrees through its six colleges and 29 schools.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.defense.gov\/bios\/biographydetail.aspx?biographyid=260\u0022\u003EAdmiral James \u0022Sandy\u0022 Winnefeld\u003C\/a\u003E will address the Ph.D. and master\u2019s ceremony on Friday, May 2, in the McCamish Pavilion at 7 p.m. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.coca-colacompany.com\/our-company\/board-of-directors-muhtar-kent\u0022\u003EMuhtar Kent\u003C\/a\u003E, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company, and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.att.com\/gen\/investor-relations?pid=9812\u0022\u003ERalph de la Vega\u003C\/a\u003E, president and CEO of AT\u0026amp;T Mobility, will address the undergraduate ceremonies on Saturday, May 3 at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EAdmiral Winnefeld serves as the ninth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, his is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nation\u2019s second highest-ranking military officer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EAdmiral Winnefeld graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology and received his commission from the Navy Reserve Office Training Corps program. He subsequently served with three fighter squadrons flying the F-14 Tomcast and as an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EAdmiral Winnefeld\u2019s unit commands at sea include Fighter Squadron 211, USS Cleveland (LPD 7) and USS Enterprise (CVN 65). He led \u201cBig E\u201d through her 18\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E deployment, which included combat operations in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom immediately after the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001. As commander, Carrier Strike Group TWO\/Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, he led Task Forces 50, 152 and 58 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and maritime interception operations in the Arabian Gulf. He also served as commander, United States SIXTH Fleet; commander, NATO Allied Joint Command Lisbon; and commander, Striking Support Forces, NATO.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EHis shore tours include service in the Joint Operations Directorate (J-3), as senior aide to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as executive assistant to the vice chief of naval operations. As a flag officer he served ashore as director, Warfare Programs and Transformational Concepts, United States Fleet Forces Command, as director of Joint Innovation and Experimentation at United States Joint Forces Command and as the director of Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5) on the Joint Staff. He most recently served as the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EAdmiral Winnefeld\u2019s awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal and five Battle Efficiency awards.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EMuhtar Kent is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company, a position he has held since April 2009. Previously he was president and chief executive officer and earlier, president and chief operating officer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EKent joined The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 1978 and has held a variety of marketing and operations leadership roles throughout his career in markets across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EIn 2005, Kent was appointed president of Coca-Cola International, responsible for overseeing all operations outside of North America.\u0026nbsp; In 2006, he assumed the role of president and chief operating officer and in 2008 was elevated to president and CEO.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EKent holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Hull in England and a Master of Science degree in Administrative Sciences from Cass Business School, City University London.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EActive in the global business community, Kent is chairman of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum, co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center\u2019s CEO Council on Health and Innovation, a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association, a member of the Business Roundtable, immediate past co-chair of the Consumer Goods Forum, a past chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council and chairman emeritus of the U.S. ASEAN Business Council. He also is a member of the Eminent Persons Group for ASEAN, appointed by President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.\u0026nbsp; He serves on the boards of 3M, Special Olympics International, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Catalyst and Emory University.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ERalph de la Vega is president and CEO of AT\u0026amp;T Mobility, a position he has held since 2007. Under his leadership, AT\u0026amp;T Mobility has become one of the world\u2019s leading smartphone and mobile Internet providers and is expanding into new growth areas such as home security and automation, connected cars and mobile payments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EPreviously, de la Vega served as chief operating officer of Cingular Wireless, with responsibility for technology planning, network operations, marketing, sales and customer care. Before joining Cingular in 2004, he served as president of BellSouth Latin America. He started his career in 1974 with BellSouth (then Southern Bell) as a management assistant.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EDe la Vega serves on the boards of New York Life Insurance Company, the Georgia Aquarium, Morehouse College and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. As a strong believer in community service, de la Vega actively supports nonprofit and youth organizations, serving as chairman of All-Markets Initiatives for the Boy Scouts of America and previously as chairman of Junior Achievement Worldwide. In 2013, he was honored with the Boy Scouts\u2019 highest commendation \u2013 the Silver Buffalo Award \u2013 recognizing his distinguished service to youth.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe recipient of numerous awards recognizing his leadership, de la Vega has been inducted into the Atlanta Business Hall of Fame and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund\u2019s Alumni Hall of Fame. He is featured in the HBO original documentary \u003Cem\u003EThe Latino List\u003C\/em\u003E, which profiles notable and influential Latinos in America. In 2011, he received the prestigious Global Innovation Award from Emory University\u2019s Goizueta Business School.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EDe la Vega holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in mechanical engineering from Florida Atlantic University and a master\u2019s degree in business administration from Northern Illinois University. He completed the Executive Program at the University of Virginia and received an honorary doctorate from Florida Atlantic. He is the author of the best-selling book \u003Cem\u003EObstacles Welcome: Turn Adversity to Advantage in Business and Life\u003C\/em\u003E. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EA native of Cuba, de la Vega lives in Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EApproximately 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students will celebrate the Georgia Institute of Technology\u2019s 247th commencement with three ceremonies. \u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Approximately 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students will celebrate the Georgia Institute of Technology\u2019s 247th commencement with three ceremonies."}],"uid":"27304","created_gmt":"2014-04-28 11:28:15","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:16:18","author":"Matthew Nagel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-04-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-04-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"293511":{"id":"293511","type":"image","title":"Admiral James \u0022Sandy\u0022 Winnefeld","body":null,"created":"1449244313","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:51:53","changed":"1475894991","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:51","alt":"Admiral James \u0022Sandy\u0022 Winnefeld","file":{"fid":"199306","name":"adm_winnefeld.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adm_winnefeld_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adm_winnefeld_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2034662,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/adm_winnefeld_0.jpg?itok=qeTkMuyo"}},"293521":{"id":"293521","type":"image","title":"Muhtar Kent","body":null,"created":"1449244313","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:51:53","changed":"1475894991","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:51","alt":"Muhtar Kent","file":{"fid":"199307","name":"kent_muhtar.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kent_muhtar_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kent_muhtar_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":802942,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/kent_muhtar_0.jpg?itok=mxBec1FE"}},"293531":{"id":"293531","type":"image","title":"Ralph de la Vega","body":null,"created":"1449244313","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:51:53","changed":"1475894991","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:51","alt":"Ralph de la Vega","file":{"fid":"199308","name":"rdelavega18.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rdelavega18_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rdelavega18_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1903724,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/rdelavega18_0.jpg?itok=sx_HQID0"}}},"media_ids":["293511","293521","293531"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.commencement.gatech.edu\/","title":"Commencement information"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"}],"keywords":[{"id":"627","name":"commencement"},{"id":"13313","name":"James Winnefeld"},{"id":"92331","name":"Muhtar Kent"},{"id":"92311","name":"Ralph de la Vega"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELisa Grovenstein\u003Cbr \/\u003EAVP, Georgia Tech News and Campus Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2929\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Lisa.Grovenstein@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ELisa.Grovenstein@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["LisaG@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}