Louisiana’s Commissioner of Higher Education to address Southeastern Commencement
Monday, November 26, 2018 
by: Tonya Lowentritt
HAMMOND – Louisiana’s Commissioner of Higher Education will address Southeastern
Louisiana University graduating students at the commencement ceremony Saturday, Dec.
8.
Kim Hunter Reed, Ph.D. will speak at the event scheduled for 10 a.m. at the University
Center. The university will confer more than 1,000 degrees on students who are graduating
with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
“We are pleased to welcome Commissioner Reed back to campus to address our graduates
at Commencement,” said Southeastern President John L. Crain. “I am certain the graduates
will find her words inspirational. As a Louisiana native who has many accomplishments,
she is also a great role model.”
Reed’s appointment as Commissioner of Higher Education in April 2018 made her
the only female in the country currently serving as a state higher education lead
who has led higher education in more than one state.
Prior to being named Commissioner, Reed served as executive director of the Colorado
Department of Higher Education. Working with the Colorado Commission on Higher Education,
Reed led efforts to drive increased educational attainment and erase equity gaps.
During her tenure in Colorado, she oversaw the implementation of nearly $109 million
in additional support for Colorado Higher Education, bringing funding levels in the
state to a historic high.
Reed has extensive higher education and government experience, having served
in former President Barack Obama’s administration as deputy undersecretary at the
U.S. Department of Education. She led the White House Initiative on Historically Black
Colleges and Universities.
A Lake Charles native, Reed chaired Louisiana’s higher education transition team
in 2015 and served as the state’s policy director. She also served as chief of staff
and deputy commissioner for public affairs for the Louisiana Board of Regents and
executive vice president of the University of Louisiana System.
Reed is no stranger to Southeastern, having served as executive assistant to
the president. She also filled, on an interim basis, several other administrative
positions at the university, including vice president of student affairs and director
of public information.
Reed earned a doctorate in public policy from Southern University, a master’s
degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from
Louisiana State University.
