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2026 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony
MAY 14, 2026 | 2:00 P.M. | LISNER AUDITORIUM
Order of Exercises
| PROCESSIONAL | Corcoran Brass |
| WELCOME | Rumana Riffat |
| THE DOCTORAL HOOD AND ACADEMIC REGALIA | Suresh Subramaniam |
| CHARGE TO DOCTORAL CANDIDATES | Jason M. Zara |
| HOODING OF THE DOCTORAL CANDIDATES | Interim Dean Jason Zara |
| RECESSIONAL | Corcoran Brass |
The hooding program is meant to be a guide to the ceremony. Although every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, the program is not an official record of an individual’s degree.
Guest Speaker
Sasha Pailet Koff, B.S. ’97
Sasha Pailet Koff is a transformation leader with more than 25 years of experience across technology, consumer goods, healthcare, and specialty chemicals.She is the Founder and President of So Help Me Understand, LLC, a boutique advisory firm supporting C-suite leaders in navigating complex supply chain and digital transformation decisions.
She also serves as Managing Director of the Cyber Readiness Institute, advancing practical cybersecurity solutions for small and medium-sized businesses globally, and is a Partner with The Masters of Supply Chain, a network of senior leaders focused on driving clarity and resilience in increasingly complex operating environments.
Previously, Sasha was Senior Vice President of Data, Analytics and Automation at Dell Technologies. Prior to Dell, she spent more than two decades at Johnson & Johnson, where she most recently served as Vice President of Supply Chain Technology for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health.
Sasha has been recognized as one of Supply Chain Digital Magazine’s Top 100 Women in Supply Chain and was named a 2025 New Jersey Top Innovator to Watch. She co-authors digital transformation case studies with Harvard and MIT and frequently lectures at leading universities including Columbia, MIT, and the George Washington University.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the George Washington University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Originally from New Orleans, she now lives in northern New Jersey with her family.
Celebration Etiquette
Graduates are reminded that graduation is a joyful as well as solemn event. We ask that you express excitement in ways that will not prevent others from hearing the speakers and enjoying the ceremony. Cell phones should be turned to their silent operating modes to help ensure that all guests can hear and enjoy the graduation activities. All students, out of respect for their fellow graduates, are asked to stay through the end of the ceremony and leave as part of the student recessional.
Please encourage your guests to use Metro if at all possible. If parking on or near campus is your only option, please factor in additional time to locate a parking spot. The availability of campus parking is extremely limited and not guaranteed. Guests may be redirected to seek parking in other public locations further away from the campus. The University parking garages are wheelchair-accessible. Please review the GW Parking Services website https://transportation.gwu.edu/visitor-parking for additional information.
Bag Policy for School Celebrations
- Bags up to 5" x 7" x ¾" permitted, subject to inspection; expect longer waiting times and delayed entry if bringing a permitted bag. For more information and a list of prohibited items, see the GW Commencement website.
Travel Impacts
- May 16 and 17: WMATA Metro will have no Yellow/Blue Line service between Crystal City and Potomac Yard stations.
- May 17: Freedom250 event may cause street closures around Commencement and increase rideshare demand.
GW Commencement on the National Mall - Sunday, May 17, 2026