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College of Arts and Sciences Commencement Address, Morning

Eugene Dizon

(BBA '93) • Executive Director, Mercury Theater Chicago; Owner, Dizon HR Consulting 

Eugene Dizon (BBA ’93) is Executive Director of Mercury Theater Chicago, a renowned performing arts institution known for producing high-quality, engaging theatrical performances. In his role, Dizon oversees all aspects of the theater’s strategic direction, artistic programming, and community engagement, ensuring that the organization thrives artistically and operationally.

In addition to his leadership at Mercury Theater, Dizon is the Owner of Dizon HR Consulting, a firm that provides tailored human resources consulting services with a focus on strategic workforce development, organizational effectiveness, and equitable HR practices. His work helps a range of organizations—from nonprofits to corporate clients—build inclusive cultures and develop strong people-centered policies.

Dizon possesses a unique combination of business acumen and creative leadership, with extensive experience in human resources, arts administration, and nonprofit management. Prior to his current roles, he held senior human resource positions across diverse sectors, where he helped shape policies, support change management processes, and lead talent development strategies. His dual background in business and the arts informs his ability to bridge organizational performance and creative innovation. 

Beyond his professional work, Dizon is a passionate advocate for arts accessibility and cultural inclusion. He has served on numerous local arts and civic boards, contributing to initiatives that expand access to arts education and foster diverse artistic voices. He is also a mentor to emerging leaders in both the performing arts and business communities, and frequently participates in panel discussions and community programming focused on leadership in the arts.

Dizon holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from ºÚÁÏÃÅUniversity Chicago and remains a dedicated leader at the intersection of business strategy, creative expression, and civic engagement.

College of Arts and Sciences Commencement Address, Afternoon

Aarthi Murali

(MS '00) • Executive Vice President, Holman

Aarthi Murali (MS ’00) is Executive Vice President at Holman, a global automotive services organization offering fleet management, vehicle manufacturing, and automotive retail solutions. In her role, Murali leads Holman’s enterprise-wide service strategy, ensuring exceptional customer experiences and operational excellence across the organization. She is known for designing integrated service frameworks that emphasize agility, scalability, and human centered design to drive organizational transformation. 

Murali brings over two decades of leadership in customer experience, operations strategy, digital transformation, and financial services. Prior to joining Holman, she held executive roles at leading institutions including M&T Bank and JP Morgan Chase, where she spearheaded transformative initiatives to improve service delivery, customer engagement, and employee empowerment. She played a pivotal role in modernizing digital platforms and implementing data-driven approaches to enhance the customer lifecycle experience.

Throughout her career, Murali has been an advocate for inclusive leadership and purpose-driven culture. She serves as an executive sponsor of Holman’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and actively mentors emerging leaders in the industry. Murali also contributes thought leadership to industry forums and serves on advisory boards focused on customer-centric innovation, workforce development, and leadership strategy.

Murali holds a Master of Science from ºÚÁÏÃÅUniversity Chicago and has completed executive development programs focused on service excellence and innovation. She continues to be recognized as a forward-thinking leader who drives service innovation and champions the connection between employee experience and customer satisfaction.

College of Arts and Sciences Commencement Address, Evening

Kristin Blakely

(PhD '08) · Author and Advocate; Co-Founder and President, The Beekay Foundation 

Kristin Blakely (PhD ’08) is a public sociologist with over 20 years of experience in academia, advocacy, and philanthropy as well as a children’s author of seven traditionally-published books.

Blakely has taught sociology, gender studies, and leadership at institutions across North America. Her scholarly work has been published in top academic journals, and she is the co-author of Gendered Worlds (Oxford University Press, 2008), widely used in gender studies curricula. She was a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Feminist Research at York University, a Senior Fellow at the Glendon School of International and Public Affairs, a Co Investigator at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Diversity Institute, and a faculty member at York University’s Resource Centre for Public Sociology.

Blakely consults on gender equity strategies and social innovation initiatives that advance inclusive organizational practices and is part of an award-winning research team dedicated to improving policy and health outcomes for early pregnancy loss and care in the Canadian health care system. She regularly speaks at national and international conferences on feminist leadership, gender justice, governance, philanthropy and public sociology.

She has held leadership roles with YWCA Toronto, YWCA Canada, the Gender Equality Network, and the Canadian Women’s Foundation, where she helped shape grantmaking priorities and programming related to economic justice and violence prevention. Blakely is President of the Beekay Foundation, a board director at the York School, and a board director for Women Moving Millions, the world’s largest women’s philanthropy network, where she champions investment in systems change for gender equity.

Blakely holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology and Women’s Studies and Gender Studies from ºÚÁÏÃÅUniversity Chicago and has completed advanced training in leadership, governance, and DEI strategy at Cornell University, Northwestern University, and the University of Toronto.

Learn more about Kristin at: www.kristinblakely.com.