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Cedar Crest College Announces Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient, Anta Cissé-Green

Cedar Crest College Announces Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient, Anta Cissé-Green Image

Alumna and legal strategist Anta Cissé-Green ’95 to address students. 

Cedar Crest College is excited to announce that alumna Anta Cissé-Green ’95 will serve as speaker during the College’s 153rd Commencement Ceremony. Cissé-Green is currently General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at IEEE, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to advance technology for the benefit of humanity. 

The event will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at the PPL Center at 701 Hamilton Street, Allentown. In addition to speaking, Cissé-Green will also receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Cedar Crest College. 

Saturday’s Commencement Ceremony is the culmination of a week of related events, including Espejo: Reflections of Our Community (formerly Baccalaureate) on Thursday and the College’s Awards and Graduate Hooding Ceremonies held on Friday. 

In addition to Cissé-Green’s remarks, students, families, faculty, and staff in attendance at Commencement will be addressed by Cedar Crest President Dr. Elizabeth Meade. Tickets are required. Those who are unable to attend can watch a live stream of the ceremony on the Cedar Crest website at www.cedarcrest.edu. For more information, please visit www.cedarcrest.edu/commencement.  

About the Speaker 

Anta Cissé-Green has in-depth legal and compliance expertise gained from her experience in multi-tiered organizations. Prior to serving in her current role at IEEE, Cissé-Green was General Counsel at the State University of New York (SUNY), based in Albany. She served as the chief legal officer to the 18-member Board of Trustees, SUNY’s Chancellor, and various members of institution leadership across 64 campuses; while managing a team of 100 people, including attorneys, legal support staff, professional staff, and risk and compliance staff. 

She also provided legal support to each of the Presidents of the 29-state-operated SUNY campuses and their respective college councils, which serve as the advisory body for each campus; the SUNY University Faculty Senate, a governance body created by the SUNY Board and the official agency through which the university faculty engage in the governance of SUNY; along with many other key areas.

Cissé-Green also has life-long experiences of supporting and giving to communities in addition to building and leading teams by establishing cultures of accountability, fun, integrity, and diversity of thought. This was taught to her very early in her life through her family who immigrated to the U.S. from Senegal, West Africa. Her family taught her the Senegalese concept of “teranga,” which means hospitality steeped in the foundation of kindness, respect, charity, and generosity.  

Cissé-Green’s broad-based background in grant agreements, tax law, commercial agreements, various international private foundations, charitable organizations, and life-long experiences enables her to bring a wealth of experience to her current role, as she collaborates with the IEEE’s Board of Directors, volunteer leaders, Executor Director, Management Council, and staff.

Cissé-Green is a 2022 inductee in the Cedar Crest College Alumnae Hall of Fame and has spent time on campus presenting to students, alumnae, and the community on leadership and networking skills. 

She is a mother to three teenage children (two boys and a girl) and enjoys spending time with her husband in Montclair, NJ, binging their favorite shows, and traveling around the world.