Saint Joseph’s Announces 2024 Honorary Degree Recipients

This year, Saint Joseph’s University will host six Commencement ceremonies for its Class of 2024 graduates, during which the University will award honorary degrees to distinguished alumni and friends. The Most Reverend Michael J. Fitzgerald, retired auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia; Philadelphia Eagles Defensive End Brandon Graham and his wife Carlyne Graham, president and director/vice president, respectively, of Team Graham; Nishaminy Kasbekar, BS '93, PharmD '95, FASHP, chief pharmacy officer and vice president of pharmacy services at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Penn Medicine; and Joan Dawson McConnon, co-founder of Project HOME; will each receive honorary degrees.

Most Reverend Michael J. Fitzgerald

Most Reverend Michael J. Fitzgerald is the retired auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia, having served the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for four decades. Over the past 10 years, he has worked to promote and maintain safe environments for children and youth in the archdiocese. With degrees in both civil and canon law, Bishop Fitzgerald also served as the judicial vicar and the founding director of the archdiocesan Office for Legal Services. He earned a law degree from Villanova University and completed a Pennsylvania state court clerkship before entering the seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on May 17, 1980, and earned a doctorate degree from the Gregorian University in Rome in 1991. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Fitzgerald an auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia in 2010, a title he held until his retirement in 2023.

Brandon and Carlyne Graham

Philadelphia Eagles Defensive End Brandon Graham and his wife Carlyne Graham, president and director/vice president, respectively, of Team Graham, are passionate about giving back through service. Both born and raised on the eastside of Detroit and educated through the public school system, the couple founded Team Graham as a foundation to build a strong support system for Detroit youth. The organization’s initiatives include Select 100, a summer program for high school students; Carla’s Circle, a mentorship program geared toward developing young women’s mental empowerment, physical fitness and self-motivation; and an annual backpack supply drive. The husband-and-wife duo also spend their time mentoring boys and girls and helping to feed and clothe those in need.

Brandon earned his bachelor’s in literature, science and arts from the University of Michigan. Professionally, he is a Super Bowl champion and defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was selected by the team in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft and is now entering his 15th season. In 2022, he was recognized as the Eagles’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, one of the League’s most prestigious honors that highlights players for their excellence both on the field and in the community. Brandon has been a tremendous representative of the Eagles and City of Philadelphia over the years, dedicating his time to anti-gun violence efforts, supporting the neurodiverse community through the Eagles Autism Foundation, mentoring children and so much more.

While Brandon has certainly made his mark both on and off the field, he will long be remembered for one of the most iconic moments in team and NFL history – strip-sacking Patriots QB Tom Brady in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LII to help secure the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship.

Carlyne earned dual degrees in social work and child and family law from Loyola University Chicago after putting herself through school at Lane College. She has worked in both the private, nonprofit and public sectors, including roles as a case manager and director of social services serving families in Chicago. Carlyne is currently an International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBCLC) candidate and working as a psychotherapist, helping mothers locally in the Philadelphia area who experience perinatal mood disorders. As director and vice president of Team Graham, Carlyne focuses on the development of young women in the Detroit area.

Nishaminy Kasbekar, BS '93, PharmD ’95, FASHP

Nishaminy Kasbekar, BS '93, PharmD ’95, FASHP, is chief pharmacy officer and vice president of pharmacy services at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, or Penn Medicine. A two-time alumna of Saint Joseph’s Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, Kasbekar is also president of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). She completed residencies in pharmacy practice and infectious diseases at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and began her career providing direct patient care as a clinical pharmacy specialist in infectious diseases. In her 27 years at Penn Medicine, Kasbekar has led many strategic and programmatic initiatives expanding the scope, services and influence of the pharmacy department in inpatient and ambulatory areas. She has received numerous recognitions for her work and contribution to pharmacy, including the PSHP Pharmacist of the Year Award, Joe E. Smith Award, Sister M. Gonzales Duffy Award, and as a Fellow of ASHP.

Joan Dawson McConnon

Joan Dawson McConnon is co-founder of Project HOME, an organization that empowers adults, children and families to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty, and to live their fullest potential. McConnon was raised in a devout Catholic family that viewed volunteerism as an expression of faith. While in graduate school at Drexel University earning her master’s degree in taxation, she volunteered with Mercy Hospice and Committee for Homelessness. Through service, she met Sister Mary Scullion, R.S.M., BS ’76, MSW, who shared McConnon’s vision that every individual has dignity and deserves a safe, welcoming place to live. Together, the two would go on to found Project HOME in 1989. In its 35 years, the nonprofit has helped thousands break the cycle of homelessness, and has developed 1,038 units of supportive and affordable housing, with 100 units in the pipeline and 24 under construction. In recognition of their good works in 2011, McConnon and Scullion were jointly awarded the University of Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics. McConnon will step down from her leadership role with Project HOME at the end of this year. She currently serves as an adjunct professor of accounting in the Haub School of Business.

To learn more about this year’s Commencement exercises, visit sju.edu/commencement.