College of St. Joseph

College of St. Joseph in Rutland, Vermont, held its 51^st Commencement Exercises for the graduating Class of 2010 on Sunday, May 9, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. in the CSJ Athletic Center.  The commencement speaker was Mr. Stuart Comstock-Gay, president and CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation in Middlebury, Vermont.  His foundation manages over 500 philanthropic funds statewide. Prior to his current position, Mr. Comstock-Gay served as the director of Demos, where he worked to reduce barriers to political participation. He also served as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland. Mr. Comstock-Gay is a Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government graduate with a Master’s degree in Public Administration. He has delivered across the country numerous speeches and presentations on the topics of election reform, campaign finance and community foundations and public policy.

Since the CSJ graduation is traditionally held on Mother’s Day, this year’s commencement offered a unique perspective for one family. Lori and Joel Norton received their degrees as mother and son. Lori Norton completed her Master of Business Administration. Joel, 23, received his Bachelor of Arts in History and satisied the requirements for a license in Secondary Education. Lori, who spent several years preparing for her degree as a working mom, saw this event as a unique moment in both her and her son’s life. Lori and Joel are both proud of one another’s accomplishments.