Coe College announces 2023 Commencement speakers
A distinguished Kohawk alumnus and current Coe College student will address the Class of 2023 during Coe’s Commencement. Andrew George ’07, executive director for The Honda Classic, will address Kohawk graduates as Coe College’s 2023 Commencement guest speaker. Mimi Daoud ’23 will address her classmates as the student speaker.
Commencement guest speaker
A business administration major with a concentration in sports management, Andrew George is a 2007 graduate of Coe and went on to earn his master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in sports management. He was involved in athletics during his time at Coe as a four-year starter on the men’s soccer team, as well as a student-assistant coach for the basketball teams at Coe and UMass. He channeled that passion for athletics into his positions with The Honda Classic.
After starting as an intern at The Honda Classic in 2009, George quickly worked his way into a full-time position in community relations, where he helped create and launch the Birdies for Children fundraising initiative, which has generated more than $23 million for more than 200 charities.
In his 15-year-long career with The Honda Classic, which is an annual stop on the PGA TOUR in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, George has excelled in every role held, with areas of focus inclusive of corporate partnerships, operations and community engagement. The tournament welcomes 200,000 fans to the event each year and generates $65 million in economic impact annually for the local region. It has been recognized as the “most fan friendly” event multiple times by its peers.
Since taking over leadership responsibilities as one of the youngest-ever PGA TOUR Tournament Directors in 2015 at age 30, George has also increased net revenue by more than 100 percent, and has more than doubled the tournament’s charitable giving total from $28 million to an astonishing $61 million, leading to his promotion as Executive Director, the organization’s top position, in 2022.
Net proceeds from the tournament are distributed to the event’s primary beneficiary, the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, founded by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, which focuses on supporting activities that advance and enhance pediatric healthcare in South Florida and around the world. Since the inception of the partnership with The Honda Classic, over 100,000 children have been impacted and $61 million has been distributed collectively to NCHCF and more than 100 additional local charities.
“My entire experience with the golf tournament has been incredibly rewarding,” George said. “Being able to pair my love of sports with the ability to impact those in need couldn’t have been scripted any better. My time spent on campus, and the relationships built within the Coe community, have truly influenced my successes and I’m forever grateful to be a Kohawk.”
In his address to the graduates, George plans to share lessons from his own journey and how his time at Coe laid the foundation for career success.
Commencement student speaker
Several years ago Coe initiated an annual tradition of including a student speaker in the Commencement ceremony. In March, all interested seniors were invited to submit their proposed speeches to the President's Office.
A selection committee reviewed all submissions and chose Mariam “Mimi” Daoud ’23 as this year's senior Commencement speaker. She is from Peoria, Illinois and is majoring in psychology and social & criminal justice with a minor in communication studies.
Daoud has been active in community organizations, creating the RISE Arts Program for the Reintegration Initiative for Safety and Empowerment (RISE) in collaboration with the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy, acting as director of operations for the Advocates of Social Justice non-profit organization, serving as a Sunday School teacher at the Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids and volunteering at the Riverview Center, where she will begin full-time employment post-graduation.
On campus, Daoud is the founder and president of Muslim Students Association, student representative to the board of trustees and is involved with campus organizations like Multicultural Fusion; Model United Nations; Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; peer ministry and new student mentorship.
“As the eldest daughter of an immigrant family, everything I do is for my parents. I can only hope to repay them for everything they’ve done for me. I always felt like being selected as Commencement speaker was an honor that would not only give me the opportunity to share everything Coe has done for me, but it’s also an opportunity to show my family everything I have accomplished. I knew I wanted to be the Commencement speaker since my first year at Coe. And so, I’m thrilled to have been selected as the Class of 2023 student Commencement speaker! More so, I am truly humbled to be given the opportunity to make my parents proud,” Daoud said.
Commencement details
Coe’s Commencement ceremony will be held Sunday, May 7, at 10 a.m. on the Stewart Memorial Library Quad.