Chris Duffey, best-selling author and leader in artificial intelligence, will serve as Marquette University’s 2026 undergraduate Commencement speaker, and Mike Gousha, award-winning journalist and senior advisor in law and public policy at Marquette Law School, will speak at the Graduate School and Graduate School of Management ceremony. As part of the university’s Commencement ceremonies, Duffey, a Marquette alumnus, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, and Gousha will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.
Marquette’s Commencement ceremonies will take place on either Saturday, May 9, or Sunday, May 10, at Fiserv Forum, pending the Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff schedule. The final date will be confirmed at a later time.
“Chris Duffey is an inspiring thought leader and creative consultant at the forefront of technology, and he will bring a unique perspective to our graduates as they leave Marquette facing an unprecedented landscape of technological advancement and ethical dilemma,” said Marquette President Kimo Ah Yun. “His commitment to the ethical uses of AI exemplifies the Catholic, Jesuit values instilled in our graduates as they go forth into the world as leaders, as men and women for and with others, and ready to answer the call to ‘live always with one foot raised.’”
Duffey is a globally recognized AI and Agentic product leader and pioneer in the design, governance, and scale of enterprise AI systems where alignment, trust, and human impact converge. As the global executive responsible for AI and agentic systems at Adobe, he is accountable for AI system behavior across product strategy and platform evolution, supporting platforms used by millions of users and thousands of enterprises worldwide. Under his leadership, Adobe Firefly has achieved unprecedented institutional impact, surpassing 27 billion model generations in just two years.
Duffey is the author of “Superhuman Innovation: Transforming Business with Artificial Intelligence,” a seminal work that introduced one of the earliest conversational AI models designed as a human-AI co-reasoning interface. His pioneering work in “Admissibility Alignment” established a canonical control architecture for governing AI action, formalizing system behavior as a vital layer for safe, institutional deployment.
Recognized as the 2025 Fluxx Visionary of the Year in Tech & AI and named to Ad Age’s Tech Power List, Duffey also serves on the boards and advisor to the CTA’s AI Board, the United Nations Smart Cities initiative, and the Semafor World Economy. Throughout his career, including prior leadership roles across major global networks like WPP, Publicis and Omnicom, Duffey has remained a trusted voice in translating complex governance concepts into a shared global discourse on the future of intelligence.
Mike Gousha
Gousha helped create Marquette Law School’s Lubar Center for Public Policy and Civic Education. He served as distinguished fellow in law and public policy from 2007-21, hosted Marquette Law School’s “On the Issues” conversation series, and was the sole moderator of numerous political debates held at the law school. In his current role as senior advisor in law and public policy, the award-winning journalist continues to explore important public policy issues through his work at the Lubar Center.
Gousha was a contributing anchor and political analyst at WISN-TV in Milwaukee, where he hosted the statewide political program, “UpFront with Mike Gousha.” He was also co-producer of two PBS documentaries. The first, “America’s Socialist Experiment,” was released in 2020 and examined the nearly half-century when Milwaukee was led by socialist mayors. The second, “A Fuller Education,” was released in 2026 and explores the life of nationally recognized education reform advocate and Marquette professor emeritus Dr. Howard Fuller. Both films were broadcast on PBS stations nationwide.
Gousha joined Marquette Law School in 2007 after a 25-year career with WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee. During his tenure at WTMJ, he was lead anchor, reporter, and the host of the popular interview program “Sunday Night.” Gousha earned numerous national and local honors during his journalism career, including a Silver Circle Emmy for his contributions to broadcast journalism from the Chicago chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2011. He is a member of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame and the Milwaukee Press Club Hall of Fame and received the Associated Press’ prestigious Carol Brewer award for outstanding, long-term contributions to broadcast journalism in Wisconsin.
