The University of Lynchburg’s 2023 Commencement exercises will take place on Thursday, May 18, and Friday, May 19.
The undergraduate ceremony will kick things off at 9 a.m. Thursday on Shellenberger Field, followed at 9 a.m. on Friday by the DMSc and PA Medicine ceremony, also on Shellenberger Field. The Doctor of Physical Therapy ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. that day in Turner Gymnasium, followed by the master’s programs ceremony at 7 p.m. in the same location.
Award-winning fashion designer and illustrator Daniel Paige Toney ’11 — known professionally as Daniel Paige — is the University of Lynchburg’s 2023 Commencement speaker for the undergraduate ceremony. Based in Los Angeles and originally from Virginia, Paige studied multidisciplinary art at Lynchburg with an emphasis in graphic design, drawing, and painting. He received his MFA in fashion design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Paige currently leads fashion illustration at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, and he teaches fashion design, costume design history, foundations for evening wear, and digital design for fashion at Otis and ASU FIDM.
When not teaching, Paige works as a designer, illustrator, and costumer in the fashion and entertainment industries. He’s worked with many well-respected fashion figures, designers, and stylists over the years, and his illustrations have been published in the Fashion Illustration Bible — or FIBLE — and featured in Vogue.
Paige has established a balanced career between the fashion industry and his passion for educating the next generation of designers.
Dr. Bernard Toney ’20 DMSc, associate investigator at the National Institutes of Health and adjunct professor of global health in Lynchburg’s Doctor of Medical Science program, will speak to the DMSc and PA Medicine graduates. Before his retirement from the U.S. Army in 2022, Toney served as a White House medical officer for two presidential administrations.
He completed three combat tours in Afghanistan, two as a non-commissioned officer with the 3rd Special Forces Group based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and one as an officer with the 30th Medical Command based in Baumholder, Germany.
Toney’s clinical roles have included family medicine, aerospace medicine, and soldier-centered medical homes. He’s the board chair for Stepping Stones for Global Development, a nonprofit organization that provides health system capacity building and technical assistance to underserved populations globally.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy ceremony will feature Kyle Kirby ’23 DPT as the keynote speaker. A Richmond native, Kirby graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2020 with a BS in exercise science. He also holds a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Certification. In June, Kirby will compete in his first powerlifting meet and start his career with OrthoVirginia in Richmond.
Bill Bodine ’78, ’89 MAd will address candidates at the master’s programs ceremony. While at Lynchburg, Bodine served as captain of the track, indoor track, and cross-country teams, achieving All-ODAC honors in cross-country while setting five school records in track. He also sang in the Concert Choir and was active in theater.
Bodine spent most of his career in health care management. In June 2022, he retired after seven years as president of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation.
He’s served on the boards of the Academy Center of the Arts, Virginians for the Arts, the Lynchburg Humane Society, the Downtown Lynchburg Association, and Camp Kum Ba Yah, among others, and as president of the Lynchburg College Alumni Association. He remains active in local theater.
Commencement will again include the conferring of honorary degrees at Baccalaureate on Wednesday, May 17. The 2023 recipients are former Lynchburg Mayor MaryJane Dolan and local counselor Norma S. White ’90, ’94 MEd. The speaker for that event is religious studies professor Dr. Amy Merrill Willis, who chairs the department.
For a complete schedule of events and other details, please visit the 2023 Commencement website.
