Commencement Speaker
Norman Bristol Colón '98
Commonwealth Chief Diversity Officer
Founder and Chairman, Pennsylvania Latino Convention
Norman Bristol Colón was appointed by Governor Josh Shapiro as Commonwealth Chief Diversity Officer on May 30, 2023. In this position, he is charged with leading diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across Commonwealth agencies by partnering with senior leaders and employees across the Commonwealth to continue to build a capable, accessible, and diverse administration that represents all Pennsylvanians.
Previously, Bristol Colón was the first appointed Chief Diversity Officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. In this position, he was the principal architect of the agency’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) programs.
His extensive career in public service includes serving as Executive Director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, Director of Special Projects for the PA Department of State, Assistant to Secretary of State, Executive Director of the Governor’s Census 2020 Complete Count Commission, and Special Assistant to Deputy Secretary for Community Affairs and Economic Development.
Born in Puerto Rico, Bristol Colón is the Founder and Chairman of the Pennsylvania Latino Convention, the most comprehensive initiative covering all aspects of Latino life, community, policy, and agenda in Pennsylvania. This convention is creating the statewide agenda for the more than 1 million Latinos in the state in areas such as business and entrepreneurship, education, health, housing, social justice, politics, the environment, civil rights, immigration, workforce training, and leadership/professional development.
In addition, Bristol Colón is an author and writer, strategist, international speaker, and coach.
Bristol Colón is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, including Pennsylvania Person of the Year by Talk Magazine and Torch of Global Enlightenment Award by the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg, just to name a few.
In 2015, he was the recipient of an honorary doctoral degree in community service from the Colegio de Formación Teológica Ministerial for his outstanding professional commitment to the development of fair practices and equitable policies in the implementation of data-driven and research-based programs geared to serve disadvantaged communities, businesses, and individuals.
Bristol Colón is an alumnus of Penn State University, where he was the Junior Founding Father and President of Phi Delta Psi-H Hispanic Fraternity, the first Hispanic/Latino fraternity at Penn State.
Alumni Speaker
James McCarty '13, '16g
Associate Director of Admissions, Johns Hopkins University School of Education
James McCarty is a 2013 graduate of Penn State Berks with a baccalaureate degree in Applied Psychology. He also earned a master's degree in Higher Education from Penn State in 2016. McCarty worked in the Office of Admissions as the assistant director of transfer admissions at Penn State Berks for eight years. He is now the associate director of admissions at Johns Hopkins University in their School of Education.
McCarty has served on the Penn State Berks Alumni Society board since 2014, and was recently appointed to the Penn State World Campus Alumni Society Board of Directors in 2024. He joined the Berks Alumni Society as a way to give back to the Berks campus and the students enrolled at the college. McCarty said, "I feel compelled and driven to aid in generating funds towards the scholarship fund, which provides scholarships for Berks campus students." The Berks Alumni Society has allowed him the privilege to serve the students and connect with fellow Penn State alumni.
While a student at Penn State Berks, McCarty was involved with Lion Ambassadors and Orientation Leaders. He was also a peer mentor and an honors scholar.
