The first female and 117th bishop of the African Methodist
Episcopal Church Vashti McKenzie and alumna and Allstate Insurance Executive
Cheryl Harris will address Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) fall 2017
graduates. Approximately 630 FAMU graduates will be cheered on by family,
friends, faculty, staff, alumni, and other guests during two ceremonies.
Harris will speak on Friday, December 15 at 6 p.m., at the
Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium. McKenzie will
deliver her message in the Lawson Center on Saturday, December 16 at 9 a.m.
Described as an “electrifying preacher,” McKenzie’s historic
election in 2000 was the first time in the A.M.E. Church’s 213-year history
that a woman had obtained the level of Episcopal office. McKenzie is an author,
documentary producer and the presiding prelate of the 10th Episcopal District.
Harris is a graduate of FAMU’s School of Business and
Industry and serves on the FAMU Foundation Board of Directors. She oversees Allstate’s Supplier Diversity
Program and was recently named one of Black Enterprise’s “Most Powerful
Executives in Corporate America” in 2017.