Bowie State University Announces Spring Commencement Speaker
By David Thompson Kenneth C. Frazier, executive chairman of Merck & Co., Inc. board of directors, will deliver remarks to over 800 graduates at Bowie State’s Spring Commencement on Friday, May 26, at Bulldog Stadium. Frazier joined Merck in 1992 and held various positions of increasing responsibility including General Counsel before becoming President and CEO of the pharmaceutical giant in 2011, the first African American to head a major pharmaceutical company. He held the position for 10 years until he retired in 2021 to lead the board. Under his leadership, Merck increased its focus on research and introduced life-saving vaccines