Athens, Ga. – David Adelman, U.S. ambassador to Singapore, will be the speaker for the University of Georgia’s combined undergraduate and graduate summer Commencement ceremony on July 31 at 9:30 a.m. in Stegeman Coliseum.
“We are honored to welcome distinguished alumnus Ambassador Adelman as the summer Commencement speaker,”said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “An understanding of the world’s cultural differences and the ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds are critical components of a 21st-century education, and I know that he will bring an important message for the graduates.”
Prior to his confirmation in March, Adelman served as a state senator in the Georgia General Assembly (2002-2010) and as an assistant attorney general. For the past 20 years, he has worked with the national law firm Sutherland Asbill and Brennan LLP. He has taught courses in political science as an instructor in the Honors Program at UGA. For many years Adelman represented indigent veterans on a pro bono basis before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. He also has served as a legal adviser to the state of Georgia’s largest domestic violence organizations.
He was unanimously elected chairman of the bipartisan Georgia Code Revision Commission. The chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court appointed Adelman to serve on her select Commission on Children, Marriage and Family Law. Adelman served on the Conference Committee considering funding for the Statewide Trauma Care Network, and he continues to lead the fight to establish and fund a trauma care network in Georgia.
In 2006, his colleagues in the senate elected him minority whip. He was re-elected again in 2008.
In the 2009 session, Adelman introduced bills that would reform Georgia’s Ethics in Government laws and require electric power companies to invest in renewable energy. He authored the law that prohibits the awarding of state contracts to companies that are underwriting genocide in Darfur.
Adelman received his bachelor’s degree from UGA, his master’s in public administration from Georgia State University, and his Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law. Born in New York City, he and his wife Caroline have three children.
The Commencement ceremony will be for students who complete degree requirements at the end of the summer 2010 semester. The number of students eligible to receive degrees will not be known until the conclusion of final exams on July 30. The ceremony will be broadcast live on channel 15 of the university and Charter cable systems. It also will be streamed live at www.uga.edu.