Emmy Award Nominated Vocalist Kathy Wade to Speak at Chatfield College’s Annual Commencement Ceremony

Kathy Wade will give the commencement address at Chatfield College’s 47^th annual graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 19^th at St. Veronica Church in Amelia, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony will honor 55 graduates from both the Brown County campus and the downtown campus in Over-the-Rhine.

“I am excited to be a part of such an important milestone in these students’ lives and to be able to recognize them for their achievements,” said Kathy. “Through my message, I want to urge the students to never lose the child in them—no matter how much wisdom they gain. Keep learning.”

A Cincinnati native, Kathy Wade is a renowned educator, musician, and jazz singer. She has been performing for more than 40 years all over the world, including the US, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, and Africa. Kathy has opened for many well-known performers like Whitney Houston, Eartha Kitt, Dionne Warwick, Dame Cleo Laine, Shirley Horn, Nancy Wilson, Kenny G, and more. Kathy’s recordings include “You Got the Magic”, upcoming release “Stranger in My Dreams”, and single “Someone’s In Love, for which the video counterpart has received an Emmy, a Telly, three International Films and Television Awards and was featured in “Cincinnati-The Movie”.

When she is not performing, Kathy manages a labor of love formed with her late husband Dan Jenkins—Learning Through Art, Inc. This non-profit organization provides quality performing arts programs in support of arts education, literacy, community development, and engagement with multi-cultural awareness. Kathy gives back to the community through art and helping community members make connections with both art and their fellow folk and family.

Kathy earned her Bachelor of Arts from Xavier University and a Master of Arts in Art Administration from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. She is the recipient of several respected awards including Cincinnati Human Relations Commission Connecting Communities and Culture Award; Inspire Magazine’s Inspiring Women; Leadership Cincinnati Distinguished Alumna; City Beat CEA Best Jazz Artist; College-Conservatory of Music William Lawless Jones Jazz Award; Cincinnati Enquirer Woman of the Year; YWCA Career Woman of Achievement, Leading Woman in the Arts; and the prestigious Scripps-Corbett Award.

Chatfield’s commencement ceremony will be available on live stream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW0pahIRFzA at 10:00 a.m.

Chatfield College is a private, faith-based, liberal arts college offering the Associate of Arts degree in Brown County and Cincinnati, and is an open enrollment college. The Brown County campus is located at 20918 State Route 251; St. Martin, OH 45118; the Cincinnati campus is located in historic Over-the-Rhine at 1544 Central Parkway; Cincinnati, OH 45202. For more information, visit the website, at www.chatfield.edu, call (513) 875-3344 or e-mail admissions@chatfield.edu.