President Maureen O'Connor to Address the Graduating Class of 2025

Palo Alto University (PAU) is proud to announce that President Maureen O’Connor, PhD, JD, will deliver the 2025 Commencement address to the graduating class on Saturday, June 14. As she prepares to conclude her presidency and transition to President Emeritus in August 2025, her address will mark a meaningful moment of reflection and celebration at the close of her nearly decade-long leadership at PAU.

“Commencement has always been one of my favorite moments in the academic year — a time to celebrate the hard work, growth, and promise of our students,” President O’Connor shared. “To have the honor of addressing this year’s graduating class, as I complete my own chapter as President, is deeply special.”

Dr. O’Connor has served as President of Palo Alto University since 2016. During her tenure, PAU has strengthened its mission-driven identity as a leader in mental and behavioral health education, deepened its commitment to inclusive excellence, and advanced the university’s impact on the behavioral health workforce. She has also championed innovative collaborations, increased student access and support, and helped shape the university’s strategic direction through a time of national transformation in higher education.

Prior to joining PAU, Dr. O’Connor spent nearly 20 years at the City University of New York (CUNY), where she held multiple leadership roles at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the CUNY Graduate Center, and served as a tenured professor of psychology. She completed a dual Ph.D./J.D. program in psychology, law, and policy at the University of Arizona and clerked for the late Honorable Patricia Wald, then Chief Judge of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

An American Psychological Association (APA) Fellow, Dr. O’Connor has served in numerous leadership roles across the association, including Chair of its Task Force on Human Rights. She is a past president of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (APA Division 9), and has contributed to key conversations in psychology on ethics, human rights, and policy. She is also a co-author of Teaching Psychology: An Evidence-Based Approach (2019), a guide for improving teaching and learning in higher education.

In addition to her academic and administrative leadership, Dr. O’Connor currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities and is a Commissioner of the WASC Senior College and University Commission. She is a member of the 39th class of the American Leadership Forum of Silicon Valley. In recognition of her service and impact, she was named a 2025 Woman of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and received a congressional recognition from U.S. Congressman Sam Liccardo.

At this year’s ceremony, Dr. O’Connor will offer words of encouragement to the Class of 2025 as they prepare to embark on their professional journeys.

“Our graduates are stepping into a world that urgently needs their care, their insight, and their courage,” she said. “Their education has prepared them not only to lead, but also to serve — and to do so with integrity and purpose.”

As PAU celebrates this year’s graduating class, it will also honor the legacy of a president who has played a pivotal role in advancing the university’s mission and shaping its future.