Virginia Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore to deliver UVa-Wise commencement address

Virginia Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore will deliver the keynote address during the 35th commencement ceremony at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise on Saturday, May 22.

The Class of 2004 includes more than 280 graduates. The commencement ceremony begins at 11 a.m. on the Lawn by the Lake. The public is invited to attend.

Virginia’s 42nd attorney general, Kilgore is a 1983 graduate of UVa-Wise and a former member of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise Board. During his time in office, Kilgore has pushed initiatives to combat identity theft, domestic violence, and gangs. Kilgore successfully backed several pieces of legislation during the 2004 General Assembly including the creation of the Domestic Violence Victims Fund and the Virginia Do-Not-Call registry.

Before his election to the attorney general’s post in November 2001, Kilgore served as Secretary of Public Safety for then Governor George Allen. Prior to that appointment, he worked as both a state and federal prosecutor. As the assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Kilgore prosecuted hundreds of drug cases. He also served as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney for Scott County.

Kilgore, 42, received his law degree from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary in 1986. He is married to Marty Kilgore, a 1987 graduate of UVa-Wise, who currently serves as the executive director of the Tobacco Settlement Foundation.

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, UVa-Wise is ranked among the nation’s top ten public liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. The only branch campus of the University of Virginia, UVa-Wise is home to 1,700 students and offers undergraduate and professional programs in the liberal arts tradition of Thomas Jefferson.

For more information about commencement activities, contact the Office of College Relations at 276-328-0130 or visit www.uvawise.edu.