OREM, Utah ­­— Utah Valley University (UVU) officials announced today that Mary C. Daly, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, will be the university’s spring 2022 commencement speaker and will receive an honorary degree in public service.

Commencement will be May 6, 2022, at 6 p.m. in the UCCU Center on UVU’s Orem Campus. Convocations for UVU’s eight colleges and schools will be held that same day from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

“Mary Daly is one of the nation’s brightest economic minds,” said UVU President Astrid S. Tuminez. “She has overcome tremendous personal hardship through persistence, grit, and tapping into the power of higher education. How she has lived her life exemplifies what it means to be a UVU Wolverine.”

A native of Ballwin, Missouri, Daly dropped out of high school at age 15 due to family hardships. Thanks to the support of mentors and her own perseverance, Daly earned her GED at age 17 and went on to become the first member of her family to graduate from college, earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She followed this with a master’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Ph.D. from Syracuse University.

Daly is a proponent of the concept of “3D public service” — the need to bring human vulnerability and compassion along with optimism and pragmatism to solve society’s most pressing issues. She is the host of the podcast Zip Code Economies, which uncovers stories of hope in the micro-economies of the nine states, including Utah, that compose the Federal Reserve’s Twelfth District.

“I’m thrilled to address the Class of 2022 at Utah Valley University,” Daly said. “There is nothing more satisfying in my job than helping young people see their value and potential. I can’t wait to meet these young Wolverines and share in their futures.”

Daly has had a long and distinguished career at the Bank that began in 1996. Starting as an economist specializing in labor market dynamics and economic inequality, she went on to become the San Francisco Fed’s executive vice president and director of research before assuming her role as president in 2018.

Specializing in the fields of labor market dynamics and economic inequality, Daly has published influential work on topics such as wage growth and income inequality, and disability insurance and policy.

 

Additional Information About Mary C. Daly

Daly has held multiple leadership positions at the Bank and within the Federal Reserve System more broadly, including Chair of the SF Fed Diversity and Inclusion Council and Executive Chair of the FRS Committee on Research Management.

As a leader dedicated to raising the profile of public service, Daly has served on numerous advisory boards, including the Congressional Budget Office, the Social Security Administration, the Office of Rehabilitation Research and Training, the Institute of Medicine, and the Library of Congress. She currently serves as an advisor to the Center for First-generation Student Success and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

As an economist, Mary has published widely on topics such as wage growth and income inequality, disability insurance and policy, and indices of happiness.