Hilary Corna ʼ07 will deliver the Elon University 2022 commencement address. Corna previously gained recognition in 2013 as a part of Elon’s Top 10 Under 10 Alumni Award for landing a senior executive officer position with Toyota and success with her first book, “One White Face."
Her book is a nonfiction account of her experiences abroad post-graduation. While at Elon she also studied abroad in Kansai Gaidai University in Japan, influencing her move to Asia.
Most recently, Corna has become an organizational consultant and keynote speaker, focusing on leading through change and making businesses more human centered. Her second book, “UNprofessional: A Manifesto,” will be published this year. Along with her podcast by the same name, this book focuses on helping businesses become more human in their brand, customer experience, culture and employee experience.
President Book, who makes the final selection regarding commencement speakers, wrote in a statement to Elon News Network that she can see why the senior class officers, who were also part of the committee to pick the commencement speaker, felt Corna would be a good fit.
“An entrepreneur, innovator, and global citizen, Hilary Corna is a shining example of an Elon alumna who leveraged her experiences at Elon to craft a life and career based on her passions and the world’s needs,” Book wrote.
Elon’s 132nd Commencement will take place Friday, May 20, 2022. The diploma ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. for the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and the School of Communications and at 2 p.m. for the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education and Elon College of Arts and Sciences.