Fall 2021 Guest Speakers

The Associate in Arts Program continues its speaker series with engaging, thought-provoking guests for the fall 2021 semester. Guest speakers include a variety of established professionals, academics, artists and entrepreneurs who discuss the paths they have taken, the issues that are important to them and the value of lifelong learning.

All fall 2021 guest speaker events are held during the AAP Common Hour on Mondays from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Conversations are held via Zoom, with live broadcasts of each presentation also available for students on the Wilmington, Dover and Georgetown campuses. 

See below for additional information about each​​ speaker and Zoom links. All guest speaker presentations are recorded; presentation videos will be linked here. Here is a look at our fall 2021 guests:​

Civil engineer Nicole Kennedy began her college journey on the Georgetown DTCC campus as an Academic Challenge student with the UD Parallel Program (now the AAP). She took both UD and DTCC courses to earn her associate degree and went on to earn her bachelor’s and then master’s degree in civil engineering from UD.

Kennedy served as a geotechnical engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, focusing on dam and levee safety and navigation programs, becoming chief of the Foundations and Dams section in 2017. In 2019, she served as the National Dams Program Manager for the USDA’s Forest Service before resuming her role as section chief in 2021.

Kennedy’s work has been integral to developing and maintaining these key elements of U.S. infrastructure and ensuring the safety of residents in her district and across the country.

View the recording​

 ​UD alumna Katy Lewis has been an immigration attorney for more than 10 years, representing individuals on a wide array of immigration matters before U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, the Board of Immigration Appeals and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals — the highest level of appeal in the federal court system before the U.S. Supreme Court.​

Monday, November 15
AAP Common Hour: 12:25-1:25 p.m.
Broadcast live in
CEB 928, Wilmington
761 ETB , Dover
142 JTC, Georgetown

​View the Recording​

​Mark Hunker is currently president and CEO of Victor42, a Washington, D.C.-based defense contracting firm specializing in cybersecurity. Hunker has held a wide array of prestigious positions over the course of a 30-year career: senior consultant for multiple government contracting corporations, senior advisor in The White House during the Clinton Administration and chief of staff for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. In his “spare time,” he runs his four thriving restaurants — Eden Restaurant; Red, White and Basil; and Jam Bistro in Rehoboth and the Duplex Diner in Washington, D.C. — and serves on the board of numerous non-profit organizations. ​

Monday, November 29
AAP Common Hour: 12:25-1:25 p.m.
Broadcast live in
CEB 928, Wilmington
761 ETB , Dover
142 JTC, Georgetown

View the Recording​

​We thank all of our fall 2021 guest speakers for joining us to share their experiences with our students, faculty and staff! ​