A graduate of Knox College will return to campus to be this year's commencement speaker. Tuesday the college announced Bridget Coughlin from the class of 1994 will address the new graduates in June.
She is the President and CEO of the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, the city's most popular cultural attraction. Before joining the aquarium in 2015, Coughlin served as vice president of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Previous to that she spent five years at the National Academy of Sciences, working as the managing editor of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
After graduating from Knox, Coughlin earned her Ph.D in biochemistry at the University of Iowa. Early research work focused on infectious disease, and genetics.
The college will hold commencement on Sunday June 2nd.