2026 Honors Convocation

Dear Honors Graduates, Family and Friends, 

I am delighted to invite you to Harwood Arena on Friday, May 1, where we will celebrate your outstanding academic accomplishments as an undergraduate student at Kean University. At this event, you will hear from our Salutatorian, from our invited speaker, and from other well-wishers on hand to applaud your well-earned honors diplomas. This webpage will provide you with all of the information you need to get the most out of this event. 

Though I want to save most of my thoughts about your achievements for the ceremony, I want you to know right now how proud I am of each and every one of you for the talent and resilience you have brought to your studies since becoming a student at Kean. The honors designation that we are celebrating is evidence that you have brought an extra measure of determination to your work, excelling in your studies and taking the very best advantage of everything that a Kean University education has to offer. Believe me, lots of people have noticed, as will the graduate schools to which many of you will apply and the employers, now or later, who will consider your applications. You have proven that you have what it takes to succeed at a very high level of accomplishment, and that is why we devote Honors Convocation to you. 

I very much look forward to meeting you. Congratulations! 

Warm regards,

David S. Birdsell, Ph.D.

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs 

Sara Mogulescu was appointed president of the Volcker Alliance in January 2022. She joined the Volcker Alliance in September 2018 as its inaugural executive vice president. Over more than two decades in the civic sector, she has built an exceptional track record of partnering with leaders across public agencies, national foundations, universities, and community organizations to drive meaningful change and public impact. 

A nationally recognized expert in program design, nonprofit management strategy, and public service education, Sara has significantly expanded the Alliance’s footprint. Under her leadership, the Alliance launched collaborative and influential initiatives, including the Next Generation Service Corps, Transformers in the Public Sector, Service to Service, the Constructive Dialogue Curriculum Initiative, and the Accountability and Reform Research Consortium (ARRC). 

Prior to the Volcker Alliance, Sara was a partner at Bennett Midland, a civic sector consulting firm, where she led national reform initiatives. She directed the design and roll-out of What Works Cities, a signature initiative of Bloomberg Philanthropies that equipped 100 American cities with the tools to harness data and evidence to engage citizens, make government more effective, and improve people’s lives. As a principal architect of the Safety and Justice Challenge, a $100 million investment by the MacArthur Foundation, she spurred local jail reform. Sara also designed and delivered Invest Health, a collaboration with the Reinvestment Fund and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that helped 50 cities plan community development projects to improve health outcomes in distressed neighborhoods. Additionally, she supported New York City’s Raise the Age Implementation Task Force, guiding the city’s response to new legislation that raised the age of criminal accountability from 16 to 18.

Previously, Sara served as the founding director of the Center on Youth Justice at the Vera Institute of Justice, where she developed a varied portfolio of juvenile justice initiatives. She began her career as an associate at Morvillo, Abramowitz, Grand, Iason, Anello & Bohrer P.C., a New York law firm, representing clients in federal criminal matters.

She holds a B.A. in economics and government from Wesleyan University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.