2014 commencement: Gary Locke

Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke, the speaker at the 9 a.m. ceremony, recently completed two years as the U.S. ambassador to China. He also served in President Obama’s Cabinet as the secretary of commerce.

Born and raised in Seattle, Locke is a two-term governor of the state of Washington and a former member of the Washington House of Representatives.

At commencement, Locke received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Western for his distinguished career of public service at the state, national and international levels.