Admiral Christopher Grady, vice chairman and acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be the principal speaker at the University of Notre Dame’s commencement ceremony.
Grady will also receive an honorary degree. The May 18 ceremony marks Notre Dame’s 180th university commencement ceremony.
Grady currently serves as the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1984. Grady received his commission through Notre Dame’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. In May 2021, he was named the Navy’s “Old Salt.” The award recognizes the expertise of the longest-serving surface warfare officer on active duty.
“A true American hero, Admiral Grady has demonstrated tremendous courage, visionary leadership and outstanding dedication to public service over his distinguished career, which spans more than 40 years,” said Rev. Robert Dowd, Notre Dame president, in a press release. “It is a privilege to have him address our graduates who will, no doubt, be inspired both by his words and by his example.”
Prior to his current appointment, Grady served as commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command and the naval component commander to both U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Strategic Command. His military career also includes service in command of the USS Chief, USS Ardent, USS Cole, Destroyer Squadron 22, Carrier Strike Group One, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, the U.S. Sixth Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO.
A native of Newport, Rhode Island, Grady earned a master’s degree from Georgetown University, where he participated as a fellow in foreign service at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and the National War College.
Grady has received many awards for his service, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and Meritorious Service Medal.
Grady returned to campus in September 2024 in connection with Dowd’s inauguration as the university’s 18th president. He served as a featured speaker in the 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum, which explored the question “What do we owe each other?” He discussed peacebuilding and diplomacy in a fractured world.
When asked in that conversation what gives him hope, Grady said, “It has to be a pursuit of truth. And I think what Notre Dame does better than anybody else is it enables our students to get after the truth, to be a discerning consumer of all of the various things that are out there.”
