Hill Harper is an award-winning actor, best-selling author, and philanthropist. Harper starred on the hit CBS drama CSI: NY, HLN's How It Really Happened with Hill Harper, and Showtime's award-winning series Homeland. This fall, Harper began his role as Dr. Marcus Andrews on the highly anticipated new show, The Good Doctor, on ABC. In theaters, he can be seen in the movie Concussion and the recently released Tupac Shakur biopic, All Eyez on Me.

Harper has earned seven NAACP Image Awards for his writing and acting and is a New York Times best-selling author for his books Letters to a Young Brother (which was also named "Best Book for Young Adults" by the American Library Association in 2007), Letters to a Young Sister, and The Conversation. Additionally, he has written Letters to an Incarcerated Brother and The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in its Place. Harper founded the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, which is dedicated to empowering, encouraging, and inspiring underserved youth to succeed through mentorship, scholarship, and grant programs.

Harper graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Brown University, where he was valedictorian of his department. He graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctorate degree from Harvard Law School. He also holds a master's degree with honors from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and holds honorary doctoral degrees from Winston-Salem State University, Cheyney University, Westfield State College, Tougaloo College, Le-Moyne Owen College, Dillard University, and Howard University.

Harper currently serves on the President's Cancer Panel, having been appointed by President Obama in 2011. He travels worldwide as a motivational speaker, addressing current affairs and life-awakening topics to a wide array of audiences of youth, adults, couples, and business leaders. As an entrepreneur, he is also a job creator: Harper owns The Roasting Plant Coffee Roastery in Detroit, a hotel in New Orleans, and The Architect & Co., a health and wellness company. In 2014, People Magazine named him one of their Sexiest Men Alive.

John DeStefano, Jr.

Mayor of New Haven, 1994-2013

Recipient of the Honorary Degree of Humane Letters

John DeStefano, Jr. is executive vice president of Start Bank of New Haven, a U.S. Treasury Community Development Financial Institution Bank of which he was an incorporating director and on whose board he continues to serve. Start is a locally owned, governed, and managed bank, dedicated to serving both its community development and commercial bank mission. Mr. DeStefano also holds an appointment as an instructor in the Political Science Department at Yale University.

DeStefano served as the 49th mayor of New Haven from 1994 through 2013. Elected mayor 10 times, DeStefano is the city's longest-serving mayor. During his tenure, he served as a member of the school board and as the appointing authority for the board's other members and led New Haven's nationally acknowledged school reform initiative. "New Haven School Change" is a collaborative, comprehensive, and persistent effort among parents, the American Federation of Teachers, community-based and business organizations, and Yale University, the principal funder of New Haven Promise, the city's merit-based full college scholarship program. DeStefano also chaired the Citywide School Construction Program, a $1.5 billion effort that rebuilt, or built new, virtually every school building in New Haven.

During his time in office, the city undertook a number of immigration initiatives, including the Elm City Resident Card, which was made available to all residents of the city for identification and to enable access to city services, irrespective of immigration status. Also during DeStefano's tenure, the city initiated a living (minimum) wage program, a domestic partner benefits initiative, and the state's first public financing program for elected officials.

New Haven experienced robust population, job, and economic growth throughout this period as the city solidified its position as a major educational and medical center. Collateral growth in life science and entrepreneurial business continue to flourish in the city.

During his time in office, DeStefano served as the president of both the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and the National League of Cities, the oldest and largest association of America's cities and towns. The National Civic League named New Haven an All-America City three times during his tenure.