RADNOR, Pa. (May 6, 2019)—Peter J. Gonzales, Esq, President and CEO for the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, will address graduates during two Commencement ceremonies at Cabrini University on Sunday, May 19.
This year marks Cabrini’s 59th Commencement exercises. It is also the first year Cabrini will award doctorates to graduates of Organizational Development.
Peter Gonzales is President and CEO of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, a non-profit promoting inclusive economic growth through immigrant integration. Under his leadership, the organization has become a national model for integrating immigrants into the workforce and entrepreneurial eco-systems as well as helping immigrants find their voice in their communities. The Welcoming Center also shares best practices in the field nationally and internationally to help advance learning and shape policy.
Having grown up in a racially diverse family with close ties to his immigrant grandparents, Gonzales believes fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion for all is crucial to shaping the full expression of our shared humanity.
As a 2017 Eisenhower Fellow, Gonzales explored strategies to promote immigrant integration and entrepreneurship in Germany and South Korea. As an active member of several civic and philanthropic boards, Gonzales aims to bring an international perspective to addressing local challenges in education, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and social isolation.
Gonzales worked as an attorney, first for the City of Philadelphia and then in private practice as an immigration attorney. Prior to that, he managed Project H.O.M.E.’s community economic development program in North Philadelphia while he attended law school in the evenings.
Previously, Gonzales served as an ESL and U.S. Civics teacher in Poland and South Korea and served as an International Development Fellow at USAID after completing his undergraduate degree.
Gonzales has completed the Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program and currently serves on numerous boards including the Douty Foundation, The Merchants Fund, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Global Philadelphia Association, and Philadelphia Works, Inc.
Gonzales earned a bachelor of arts at the University of Scranton and a Juris Doctor at Temple University.
For more information on Cabrini’s Commencement Ceremonies, visit cabrini.edu/commencement.
About Cabrini University
Founded in 1957 by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cabrini University is a Catholic institution that empowers students to become advocates of social change through an Education of the Heart, focusing on academic excellence, community engagement, and leadership development.
Cabrini enrolls approximately 1,650 undergraduates in more than 35 majors, pre-professional programs, concentrations, and minors on its serene 112-acre campus located 30 minutes from Philadelphia. The University also enrolls 800 students in graduate, doctoral, and professional studies programs at its main campus in Radnor, PA, and at five off-campus locations.