UCF will award more than 10,700 degrees during this spring鈥檚 ceremonies, continuing its record-setting momentum in preparing highly skilled graduates for in-demand fields, including engineering, computer science, business, nursing, and digital and emerging media.
UCF is the leading producer of talent among Florida鈥檚 universities, awarding nearly 19,000 degrees annually to Knights who go on to work in high-demand industries. About 85% of our alumni stay in Florida because of the ample opportunity to thrive as part of our state鈥檚 workforce.
Graduates will hear from six esteemed speakers whose leadership and impact span some of Central Florida鈥檚 most influential industries:
- Barry Miller 鈥�95, president of Voloridge Investment Management
- Brian Adams 鈥�04MBA, president and CEO of AdventHealth Central Florida Division
- Gloria Caulfield, vice president of strategic alliances, Tavistock Development Company
- Barbara Gellman-Danley, president of Higher Learning Commission
- Maj. Gen. James Smith, commander, space training and readiness command at Patrick Space Force Base
- Peter Lee, president of Microsoft Science
Commencement Festivities
Held in the Addition Financial Arena, spring commencement will take place over six ceremonies spanning Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9.
All guests, including children and infants,鈥痭eed a ticket for admission. All graduates who have filed an intent to graduate will receive five commencement ceremony tickets when they pick up their regalia packet.
Guests who do not have tickets may watch the鈥痩ive ceremony via a simulcast viewing鈥痠n the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center and the Student Union. Ceremonies will also be livestreamed .
Commencement Photo-ops Across UCF
Graduating Knights are unable to take photos at the Acrisure Bounce House Stadium this semester due to ongoing construction.
Grad Walk
On Thursday, May 7, 2:30-7 p.m. (doors close at 6 p.m.), spring graduates are invited to a photo-op 鈥� Grad Walk 鈥� within the Addition Financial Arena. This will be a first-come, first-served occasion for graduates and up to 10 of their well-wishers to take photos and videos on the ceremony stage.鈥疓raduates are required to .
Commencement Schedule
Graduates and guests can review the below commencement ceremony schedule, listing colleges, ceremony dates and streaming links:
Friday, May 8
9 a.m.
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
2 p.m.
College of Health Professions and Sciences
7 p.m.
College of Arts and Humanities
Nicholson School of Communication and Media
Saturday, May 9
9 a.m.
College of Community Innovation and Education
2 p.m.
College of Sciences (excluding Nicholson School of Communication and Media)
7 p.m.
College of Engineering and Computer Science
College of Optics and Photonics
For more details and FAQs about Spring 2026 commencement celebrations, visit ucf.edu/graduation.
Commencement Speakers
Barry Miller 鈥�95
President of Voloridge Investment Management
Barry Miller 鈥�95 serves as president of Voloridge Investment Management, quantitative hedge fund manager, and Voloridge Health, a data science-based health tech company, both Florida based.
Miller, who graduated with honors from UCF with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in finance, recently made a transformational $50 million gift this spring to establish the Barry S. Miller College of Business at UCF. The largest single philanthropic investment in UCF history, the gift will accelerate a bold new model of business education designed for a world where technology, data and decision-making are inseparable.
Miller, also a member of the UCF College of Business Hall of Fame, brings years of executive experience, having previously served as CEO of LASAS Technologies, a finance and insurance company that he co-founded in 1998. His career experience includes financial analysis, capital raising, financial markets, actuarial experience, software development and in-depth company infrastructure formation.
After gaining valuable experience as an entrepreneur and chief executive officer, Miller鈥檚 ambition led him to join and invest in Voloridge Investment Management and then Voloridge Health. For both companies, he is responsible for many facets of leadership, including trading, back-office operations, compliance, sales and marketing, vendor relationships and strategic planning.
Brian Adams 鈥�04MBA
President and CEO of AdventHealth Central Florida Division
Brian Adams is president and CEO of AdventHealth鈥檚 Central Florida Division, one of the nation鈥檚 largest faith-based health systems, whose 37,000 dedicated team members provide care for more than 3 million patients.
Known for building high-performing teams and ensuring the organization grows to meet the care needs of the community, Adams has led efforts to expand access to care, elevate quality and bring innovative solutions to rapidly growing communities. His leadership has continued to position AdventHealth as a trusted and innovative partner in Central Florida.
As a part of AdventHealth for more than 24 years, Adams has held senior leadership roles across the organization, including CEO positions in Tampa and Polk County, where he oversaw major expansions, facility investments and quality improvements.
He earned his master鈥檚 of business administration from the 色花堂 and a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Union College in Nebraska. Originally from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, Adams and his wife have two teenage sons.
Gloria Caulfield
Vice president of strategic alliances, Tavistock Development Company
In her multifaceted role as vice president of strategic alliances at Tavistock, Gloria Caulfield manages business development and corporate partnerships, collaborates with national and global stakeholders to advance health innovation, and leads the development of cutting-edge strategies for the Lake Nona community.
She is the chief architect and creative force behind the Lake Nona Impact Forum. The revered global health innovation summit brings together many of the world鈥檚 most preeminent thought leaders and serves as a signature event of the Tavistock Group.
Caulfield serves on boards that reflect her passion for advancing the future of human health, including the StartUp Health Impact Board, which focuses on mobilizing entrepreneurs to solve the biggest health challenges of our time, and the LFE Capital Advisory Board, which supports female founders and impactful, wellness-oriented companies.
Prior to joining Tavistock, she had a distinguished career at AdventHealth. As senior executive director for community development, she provided strategic leadership for corporate partnerships and spearheaded critical community initiatives across Central Florida. Caulfield is an alumna of the University of Arizona and brings visionary leadership to every aspect of her work.
Barbara Gellman-Danley
President of Higher Learning Commission
Barbara Gellman-Danley is president of the Higher Learning Commission, which accredits colleges and universities to ensure they meet high-quality standards and continuously improve.
Prior to beginning this role in 2014, she was president of the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College in Ohio. She previously served as vice chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, president of Antioch University McGregor, vice president at Monroe Community College and vice chancellor at the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
Gellman-Danley sits on the boards of Credential Engine, which she chairs, and GlobalMindED. Her career includes previous board and commission memberships with the Association of Governing Boards Council of Presidents, the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements, the American Council on Education鈥檚 Education and Attainment group and the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning.
Gellman-Danley holds degrees from Syracuse University, Simmons University, Oklahoma City University and the University of Oklahoma. She did post-graduate work at New York University, Cornell, Harvard, the University of Chicago and MIT.
An honorary member of Phi Theta Kappa, she is a professional certified coach, certified executive coach and certified life coach. She holds certifications in change management, Agile and Lean Six Sigma, a professional credential validating expertise in data-driven process improvement aimed at reducing waste and defects.
Maj. Gen. James Smith
Commander, space training and readiness command at Patrick Space Force Base
As commander, Maj. Gen. James E. Smith is responsible for preparing the U.S. Space Force and more than 14,000 military and civilian guardians to prevail in competition and conflict through innovative education, training, doctrine and test activities.
Originally from Boise, Idaho, Maj. Gen. Smith commissioned in 1997 as the top graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. His career spans numerous space operations and acquisition positions, including command at the squadron, group, wing, garrison and Field Command levels.
Maj. Gen. Smith has deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and to the U.S. Embassy in Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Prior to his current position, Maj. Gen. Smith served as the vice director, Joint Force Development, J-7, the Joint Staff, Arlington, Virginia.
Peter Lee
President of Microsoft Science
Peter Lee is president of Microsoft Science, where his responsibility is to accelerate the pace of discovery in the physical, biological and medical sciences through the use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
Previously, he led the world laboratories of Microsoft Research. Before joining Microsoft in 2010, he established a new technology office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency within the U.S. Department of Defense, creating operational capabilities in machine learning, data science and computational social science.
From 1987 to 2010, Lee was a professor and the head of the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and serves on the boards of several institutions in AI and medicine, including the board of trustees of the Mayo Clinic and the board of directors of the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine. He served on President Obama鈥檚 Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity and has testified before both U.S. House and Senate committees.
He is the co-author of the book, The AI Revolution in Medicine: GPT-4 and Beyond. In 2024, Lee was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in health and life sciences.
