Benaree Wiley to Speak at 38th Commencement

Rev. Dr. Gloria White-Hammond, Rev. Dr. Raymond Hammond and Dr. Ethan Pollack will receive honorary degrees.

June 3, 2018 (BOSTON) – William James College, a leader in educating the next generation of mental health professionals, announced Benaree Wiley, Principal of The Wiley Group, will deliver this year's commencement address. Commencement will take place Sunday, June 3 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, MD, Rev. Raymond Hammond, MD and Ethan Pollack, PhD will receive honorary degrees.

Aside from her role at The Wiley Group, Benaree Wiley is Director on boards of the Dreyfus Mutual Funds, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and CBIZ. She also serves on the boards of Dress for Success Boston, Partners Continuing Care, the Black Philanthropy Fund, The Efficacy Institute and Howard University. Wiley spent her formative years in a segregated Washington, D.C.; one of her earliest memories is celebrating the passage of Brown v. Board of Education with her father. For fifteen years, she was President and Chief Executive Officer of The Partnership, Inc., a Boston-based nonprofit that helps organizations attract, retain and develop leadership skills in multicultural professionals. She is a frequent speaker on leadership, diversity and professional development. Wiley received her bachelor's degree from Howard University and her MBA from Harvard Business School.

Reverend Dr. Ray Hammond and his wife, Reverend Dr. Gloria White-Hammond founded the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston in 1989. Since its

founding, the church has launched several programs to serve at-risk youth, and in 1998 was credited for a movement referred to as "The Boston Miracle," during which there was a significant drop in citywide homicide rates.

Aside from his work as pastor of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston, Reverend Dr. Ray Hammond is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Ten Point Coalition; Executive Director of Bethel's Generation Excel program; Executive Committee Member, Black Ministerial Alliance; Chair of the Boston Opportunity Agenda; a member of the Strategy Team for the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization; a member of the Boston Green Ribbon Commission; and a trustee of several local organizations. Dr. Hammond completed his bachelor's degree at Harvard College, received his master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and his Master of Arts from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Aside from her work as pastor of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston, Reverend Dr. Gloria White-Hammond co-founded My Sister's Keeper, a humanitarian women's group that partners with women of Sudan in their efforts toward reconciliation and reconstruction of their communities. She sits on the Board of Trustees of Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Board of Overseers for the Tufts University College for Community and Public Service and the Board of Christian Solidarity International (Zurich). She received her bachelor's degree from Boston University, her master's degree from Harvard Divinity School, and her M.D. from Tufts Medical School.

Ethan Pollack, Ph.D. joined the William James College faculty in 1978. His professional interests include the provision of clinical services to children, adolescents, couples and families, as well as clinical work with stepfamilies. He has a longstanding interest in ethics, and has published articles in this area. Dr. Pollack currently serves as a member of the American Psychological Association's Board of Director's Standing Hearing Panel. He was a partner and founder of Needham Psychotherapy Associates, a private group

practice, was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Psychological Association (MPA) from 1998-2001, and served as a member (1990-1996) and Chair of MPA's Ethics Committee (1996-1998). He received his master's degree and his PhD from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

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About William James College

William James College is a leader in educating the next generation of mental health professionals to support the growing and diverse needs of the mental health workforce. Integrating field work with academics, the College prepares students for careers as organizational leaders and behavioral health professionals who are committed to helping the underserved, multicultural populations, children and families and veterans. William James College graduates can be found making an impact in a variety of settings, including schools, the courts, clinical care facilities, hospitals, the community and the workplace.

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