Dr. Cam Grey is a Professor of Classical Studies and chair of the Graduate Group in Ancient History at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves on the Faculty Advisory Board for Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies. Dr. Grey is also Faculty Director of Lauder College House on Penn’s campus, where he resides and helps cultivate the academic and intellectual life of the House.
The College of Liberal and Professional Studies is excited to announce that Dr. Cam Grey has been selected to address the College of Liberal and Professional Studies Class of 2026 at the graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 17. Dr. Cam Grey is a Professor of Classical Studies and chair of the Graduate Group in Ancient History at the University of Pennsylvania. He also serves on the Faculty Advisory Board for Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies, for which he draws on his teaching and research experience to help support the college’s mission.
Leonard Shaw teaches Fundamentals of Data in the Master of Environmental Studies program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a senior software engineer at American Water, specializing in data engineering, DevOps, and software architecture for Enterprise Geographic Information Systems. He previously taught Geographic Information Systems in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at Drexel University.
Sam is the co-founder of Agora, a Korea-focused incubator that advances research, dialogue, and action on pressing public policy and social issues. Before co-founding Agora, Sam worked in development finance and private equity at the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group) and AMP Capital, where he focused on infrastructure investment opportunities.
Sam is the co-founder of Agora, a Korea-focused incubator that advances research, dialogue, and action on pressing public policy and social issues. Before co-founding Agora, Sam worked in development finance and private equity at the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group) and AMP Capital, where he focused on infrastructure investment opportunities.
“Coaching or mentoring has always been a part of my background in some respect,” shares Josh Howard (Master of Applied Positive Psychology ’24). In college, he served as manager for LSU men’s basketball team. In his twenties, he worked as a youth pastor. Today, Josh is chief of staff at the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition (BRYC) and an adjunct professor at his alma mater.
Bryan Faller (Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts ’24) works at the intersection of art and finance. “I’m a fiduciary, and my formal training is as an art historian. I’m in a unique space because I’m able to speak to both the money aspect of art and the art historical aspect of art,” he explains. His responsibilities include managing money for individuals, families, and organizations, and helping those entities build and curate art collections. He also works as an art dealer, teaches the business of art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and conducts research.
Michael Newmuis (BA ’21) has been appointed Philadelphia’s 2026 Director by Mayor Cherelle Parker (MPA ’16) to lead the city’s preparation for a trio of major events this year, including the FIFA World Cup, the MLB All-Star Game, and the nation’s 250th birthday celebration. He brings experience from tourism, nonprofit, and community investment roles, including leadership positions at FS Investments and Visit Philadelphia. Newmuis aims to make the economic impact of these major events more equitable by activating celebrations and opportunities in neighborhoods beyond Center City.
Lara Merriken (Master of Applied Positive Psychology ’23) always thought of herself as a positive person. Believing in hers and others’ strengths created a throughline in her careers—from working as a social worker with at-risk youth, to founding LÄRABAR, to serving as an adviser after the company’s acquisition by a Fortune 500 corporation. “Human flourishing is what I’ve always been about,” she says. Although Lara studied psychology as an undergraduate, she first heard of positive psychology at her son’s school, where she is a board member.
“When I was at Penn, I would never have thought that I would wind up in a Master of Divinity degree program,” begins Ethan McLear, a former Penn Post-Baccalaureate Studies program student. He enrolled in the Post-Bacc shortly after finishing his undergraduate degree, looking for clarity about his future—both in terms of a career and a discipline for graduate studies. Two semesters of advanced coursework and the network he built at Penn helped guide Ethan on his journey to a master’s program at Princeton Theological Seminary.
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