Speakers and Awardees
Rebecca Kutler
Keynote Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient
Rebecca Kutler is the President of MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, a trusted destination for breaking news and in-depth analysis. MS NOW reaches 14 million viewers on television each week, with the average viewer tuning in for more than nine hours weekly. Under Kutler’s leadership, the 30-year-old news brand has been transformed into a modern, digital-first newsroom, reaching millions more through YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms.
As president, Kutler leads the editorial direction, daily programming, digital transformation, and long-term growth of MS NOW. She oversees more than 120 hours of live programming, a roster of anchors and hosts, and a growing team of Pulitzer, Murrow, Emmy, and Peabody Award-winning journalists.
Prior to being named president in February 2025, Kutler served as Senior Vice President for Content Strategy for MS NOW, where she expanded the organization’s investments in digital and non-linear programming. In 2025, MS NOW finished the year as the #1 news organization across YouTube, generating nearly eight billion combined views on YouTube and TikTok and more than 140 million downloads across its audio portfolio.
A veteran of more than two decades in television news, Kutler held several executive positions at CNN before joining MS NOW. She was part of teams that received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Coverage, two Peabody Awards, and two duPont-Columbia Awards.
Kutler earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Communication from The George Washington University and a Master of Arts in Journalism from Columbia University. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and their three children.
Learn More About Rebecca Kutler in GW Today
Honorary Degrees
Virginia Ali
Entrepreneur and business owner Virginia Ali co-founded Ben’s Chili Bowl, an iconic D.C. restaurant that has been a cultural landmark in the city for more than six decades.
Michele Anthony
Monumental Alumna Michele Anthony, B.A. ’77, is a distinguished music industry executive who currently serves as executive vice president of Universal Music Group.
Willie Hensley
Alumnus Willie Hensley, B.A. ’66, is one of the most influential Alaska Native leaders of the last century, whose work has advanced the rights of Indigenous peoples across the United States.
Learn More about the Honorary Degree Recipients in GW Today
Ethan Fitzgerald, B.A '25, M.P.S. '26
Student Speaker
Ethan Fitzgerald is a San Diego native raised by a single mother and a proud queer Jewish leader at GW. He is completing his master’s degree in Political Management after earning his undergraduate degree in three years as a double major in Political Science and Organizational Sciences, graduating summa cum laude.
Ethan served as SGA president during the 2024-25 academic year. During his time as the leader of GW’s student body, he built a platform rooted in community, cohesiveness, accessibility and visibility—seeking to make SGA feel more “like a student union” than distant entity. Outside of SGA, Fitzgerald also served in numerous leadership positions at GW, including director of operations for GW Residence Hall Association, Alpha Epsilon Pi founding member and vice president and Model United Nations member, among other involvements.
Read more about Ethan Fitzgerald in GW Today