City University of New York Confers Honorary PhD on Wall Street CEO
Baruch College President S. David Wu (left), CUNY Chairman William Thompson (middle left) and CUNY Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriquez (right) present Suzanne Shank with her honorary Ph.D.
Chancellor Matos Rodriquez flips the graduation hood for Suzanne Shank after her introduction.
Suzanne Shank addresses the nearly 5,500 Baruch College graduates at the university’s Barclays Center commencement.
Suzanne Shank Shares Inspirational Message to Graduates Before Crowd of 19,000 at Barclays Center
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriguez, together with Baruch College President S. David Wu, have conferred an honorary PhD on Wall Street CEO Suzanne Shank at the college’s 60th annual graduation ceremony.
The event, which took place June 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, honored both Shank and Chipotle Mexican Grill founder and CEO Steve Ellis, who additionally provided an official commencement address to the graduates.
The Trustees of the 247,000-student university system recognized Shank for embodying CUNY’s founding commitment to public service and upward mobility. She is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Siebert Williams Shank & Co. (SWS), the largest woman and minority owned firm on Wall Street.
“Throughout her career, Suzanne Shank has shown that finance can be a powerful instrument of opportunity, inclusion and impact,” said CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodriquez. “Her professional achievements and public service reflect the values the City University holds in the highest regard: expanding access, strengthening communities, and investing in the promise of people and institutions.”
“I’ve heard a lot about this class. You don’t back down from challenges; you rise to meet the moment,” Shank told the 5,496 graduates in her speech. “Your ability to overcome blocks and barriers is what makes you uniquely qualified to conquer the hard things ahead. This is your competitive edge.”
Shank shared her own story, encouraging the graduates to not be afraid to allow themselves to take an unconventional path.
“On my graduation day, a career on Wall Street was not even a thought,” Shank continued. “I graduated with a degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech and I thought my future would be construction blueprints. But that wasn’t my calling, and that’s when I gave myself the biggest gift possible: grace. I gave myself the time to figure things out, to explore. My major was just a beginning; it wasn’t my destiny.”
Across 28 commencement ceremonies in New York City, CUNY celebrated the graduation of over 50,000 students in the Class of 2026. Alongside Suzanne Shank, Baruch awarded Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Louise Mirrer, PhD, president and CEO of the New York Historical museum and library. Others receiving honorary degrees from CUNY institutions in 2026 include actress Jane Fonda, philanthropic leader Elizabeth Alexander, former Ambassador Patrick Gaspard, civil rights attorney Maya Wiley, and Astrophysicist David N. Spergel.
Since co-founding Siebert Williams Shank in 1996, the firm has grown to represent more than 80 of the Fortune 100, and it has raised trillions of dollars in financing for major corporations and municipal issuers and major infrastructure projects across the nation. The firm maintains 27 offices across the United States.
Ms. Shank serves on the Board of Directors of several major U.S. corporations and non-profits including The Kresge Foundation and The Skillman Foundation. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Women's Forum, has served on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Fixed Income Market Structure Advisory Committee, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, and the Bipartisan Policy Center's Executive Council on Infrastructure.
Ms. Shank has been inducted in the Bond Buyer Hall of Fame and was named as one of USA Today's Women of the Century. She has been named by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania to its list of "125 Influential People and Ideas" and was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni by Georgia Tech.
Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC is an independent non-bank financial services firm that offers investment banking, sales and trading, research, and advisory services. They provide customized solutions incorporating comprehensive financial advisory, capital raising and risk management guidance with the mission of delivering the highest level of value-added services to their clients. The firm is dually headquartered in New York and Oakland.
Christian Agredo
Butler Associates
+1 347-807-8219
email us here
Baruch College Commencement 2026
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