Nexford University US Graduation 2022

On September 25, NXU graduates celebrated their achievements in Washington DC. See what they got up to!

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Celebrate in DC with Nexford

DC Tour

See what our graduates got up to on their exclusive tour of Washington DC, which featured a selection of some of the most important landmarks in US history.

View photos

Graduation venue

Situated on the National Mall and current headquarters to the American Pharmacists Association, our NXU learners graduated in style at the Potomac View Terrace.

View photos

Graduation ceremony

See photos from the graduation ceremony and what was in store for our Learners in DC on the day they started their futures as NXU Graduates.

View photos

DC tour

On September 24th our US graduates were treated to a tour of the Nation's Capital. It took in some of the most recognizable landmarks in US history, which amongst other things included:

  • The Washington Monument
  • World War II Memorial
  • Lincoln Memorial
  • Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
  • U.S. Capitol Building

The Venue

We celebrated our graduates' success on September 25 at the Potomac View Terrace.

Situated on the National Mall and current headquarters to the American Pharmacists Association, their graduation venue offered easy access to and expansive views of a number of national monuments including the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial.

They enjoyed the natural beauty of the Potomac River from the open air Terrace while they networked with fellow NXU Graduates and guests from around the world.

Graduation ceremony

Our graduates celebrated their success in style at the Potomac View Terrace.

During the formal ceremony, words of wisdom and congratulations were shared by the event's speakers Fadl Al Tarzi, Cathy Plunkett, Carlos Gutierrez and Morgan Davis.

Meet our speakers

  • Chief Executive Officer

    Fadl Al Tarzi

    Chief Executive Officer

    Fadl founded Nexford University in 2018, with a vision to enable greater social and economic mobility through high-quality, affordable education. His vision stemmed from having built four startups employing over 500 people across 10 emerging markets. Throughout his entrepreneurial journey he witnessed how lack of access to affordable, high-quality education impacts societies across the world.

    Fadl became an entrepreneur at 18, and has accumulated 17 years’ experience founding digital marketing and SaaS startups, leading award winning digital engagement and digital transformation projects. Cumulatively, his startups have raised over $15 million in growth capital and employ more than 500 people globally. Under News Group International, he launched and grew SOCIALEYEZ from two to more than 120 people globally. He has worked with Fortune 500s, global consumer brands such as Starbucks, and governments in the US, Europe and MENA regions. Fadl has lived in Cairo, Paris, Washington DC, Dubai and London. He holds a BBA from the American University in Cairo and management degrees from George Washington and Middlesex Universities.

  • Chief Academic Officer

    Dr. Cathy Plunkett

    Chief Academic Officer

    Dr. Cathy Plunkett serves as Nexford’s Chief Academic Officer. She has more than three decades of experience in education, starting as a teacher and principal in K-12 and moving to post-secondary education over 15 years ago.

    Dr. Plunkett has had leadership positions in both the academic and business sides of an institution, serving as a Campus Director, Regional Director, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Director of Regulatory Compliance. The knowledge and experience gained in all of these positions provide solid platform to provide support and guidance to all all departments of the university to ensure compliance with accreditation and state licensing standards. She is passionate about learning and providing students with a positive educational environment for them to meet their educational goals and ultimately succeed in their chosen career.

  • Former US Secretary of Commerce and Former CEO of Kellogg Company

    Carlos Gutierrez

    Former US Secretary of Commerce and Former CEO of Kellogg Company

    Born in Havana, Cuba, Carlos Miguel Gutierrez is an American former CEO and former United States Secretary of Commerce. He is currently a Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of EmPath and was also a former Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Kellogg Company.

    Carlos is not just a captain of industry, appointed by former US President George W. Bush, he also served as the 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 2005 to 2009, and was actively involved in U.S.-Cuba policy alongside Co-Chair Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Regarding matters of higher education, in February 2009, Gutierrez was named a Scholar at the University of Miami’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies and In April 2009 he joined the university's board of trustees.

  • Chief Executive Officer of TowneBank

    Morgan Davis

    Chief Executive Officer of TowneBank

    Morgan Davis is a founding officer, director and CEO of TowneBank where he oversees growth and profitability. He is an alumnus of Old Dominion University and served as founding President and CEO of Princess Anne Commercial Bank for 13 years prior to forming TowneBank. Active in the community, he's served on the boards for dozens of profit and nonprofit organizations during his 40-plus-year career.

Hear from Fadl Al Tarzi

CEO & Founder of Nexford University addressed the 2022 US graduates and shared with them words of gratitude, congratulations, and wisdom.

Hear from Morgan Davis, CEO of TowneBank

CEO of TowneBank and VIP guest speaker Morgan Davis knows how important a university education is for graduates looking to improve their skills sets to rise through the ranks and make their mark in the modern business world.

In his address to the graduates at the recent Nexford US graduation ceremony, he highlighted that social and technical skills are highly in demand right now and something that prospective learners need to bear in mind when applying to learn at Nexford University.

Hear from Carlos Gutierrez, Chairman and CEO of EmPath

Chairman and CEO of EmPath and VIP guest speaker Carlos Gutierrez knows what it takes to make it in the business world. As Chairman and CEO of EmPath and former Kellog's Chairman and CEO, he knows just what it takes to build a world-class company and keep it competitive.

At the recent Nexford US Graduation ceremony he imparted his valuable knowledge to all graduates, explaining what skills they would require to make their mark in the modern business world.

Carlos explained that two of those skills are empathy and critical thinking and he was certain that all Nexford graduates would have gained those valuable skills whilst earning their MBA's.

Meet Efe, one of Nexford US graduates from Toronto, Canada

Efe Alasa came from Toronto, Canada to graduate at the recent Nexford US graduation. She is so proud of her achievements and that she got to graduate with her MBA in just 12 months when her friends took 24 months.

This gave her a positive return on investment because she could pay monthly and study at her own pace. That means she has saved over 50% in tuition fees when compared to her colleagues. Efe also says that she now earns 50% more than what she did before her MBA, which she says she owes to Nexford.

Meet 'Jide, one of Nexford US graduates and a successful brand strategist

'Jide Adeyemi came to the Nexford US graduation full of confidence and celebrated his success with his colleagues. He also had some incredible stories to tell.

He said that the skills he learned during his Nexford MBA has made him a better leader and consultant, boosted his career, and helped his company expand into new geographies.

He also really believes that Nexford is an affordable next-generation university and loved the fact that he could learn wherever and whenever. In fact, he finished the last week of his MBA on vacation in Canada.

Meet Tolulope Babatunde, one of our recent US graduates

Tolulope Babatunde works at a global wealth management company and is seeing her career go from strength to strength thanks to her Nexford MBA. Plus she is seeing her leadership skills improve.

She chose an American online university because she did not want her learning to be affected by the ongoing academic strikes at the traditional Nigerian universities and because Nexford allowed her to learn at her own pace, she did not have to take a break from work, or leave her country to get a word-class education.

Meet Malan Kouame, a Nexford US graduate who hails from The Ivory Coast

Malan Kouame is proud of his heritage and even prouder of his achievements that led to him becoming a standout graduate at the Nexford US graduation ceremony.

He is a Senior Investment Manager at GroFin and is hopeful that his Nexford MBA will earn him more promotions and pay raises. With his MBA he is also hoping to expand his influence in the financial industry by operating across most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

He feels this is possible as he says that his Nexford education has equipped him with all competencies and skills to make it happen.

Meet Michael Ariel, one of our US graduates who flew from Indonesia to celebrate with his peers

Michael Ariel is a General Manager Sales & Marketing for a global company in Indonesia. He realized that to get ahead in marketing he needed to procure a Master of Business Administration degree from an American online university. So he turned to Nexford because he realized that to be the best you have to learn from the best.

As a net result his sales have improved day-by-day and he got promoted, which he puts down to his Nexford education and the vital skills he learned during his MBA. He says he can’t wait to share this new-found knowledge with his peers.

Celebrate in DC with Nexford

DC Tour

See what our graduates got up to on their exclusive tour of Washington DC, which featured a selection of some of the most important landmarks in US history.

View photos

Graduation venue

Situated on the National Mall and current headquarters to the American Pharmacists Association, our NXU learners graduated in style at the Potomac View Terrace.

View photos

Graduation ceremony

See photos from the graduation ceremony and what was in store for our Learners in DC on the day they started their futures as NXU Graduates.

View photos

Browse the Nexford class of 2022 Yearbook!

Check out the Class of 2022 yearbook featuring all of the DC graduates. See anyone you recognize?