Grammy Award-winning artist will.i.am and Lisa Barton, CEO of Wisconsin-based Alliant Energy, will be featured speakers at the 2026 Worcester Polytechnic Institute commencement.
will.i.am, whose legal name is William Adams, will address the university’s undergraduate ceremony while Barton will speak at the graduate ceremony.
will.i.am is a founding member of the Black Eyed Peas, a band formed in 1995 blending hip-hop, pop, R&B, and rap. The band has since been nominated for 24 Grammy Awards, winning seven. He will receive an honorary doctorate of science degree at the undergraduate ceremony.
WPI President Grace Wang emphasized will.i.am’s academic and entrepreneurial accomplishments outside his music career in the university’s announcement, especially his work to increase access to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) and robotics education.
In 2009, Adams established the i.am Angel Foundation, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing college scholarships, preparation and STEAM education to high school students.
The organization’s i.am FIRST robotics program, launched in 2021, has served 12,000 students across 260 schools. Its i.am College Track program provides social and academic support to students at Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles and has served more than 600 students, with a 100% college matriculation rate, according to the organization’s website.
In 2025, Adams became a professor of practice at Arizona State University where he teaches courses on the intersection of human creativity and artificial intelligence. Additionally, he serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations AI Skills Coalition.
Barton, a WPI alumna, will receive her honorary doctorate of science degree at the graduate ceremony.
She joined Alliant Energy, a publicly traded electric and natural gas services provider, in 2023 as president and chief operating officer. At the start of 2024, she was named the company’s CEO.
In fiscal 2025, Alliant generated $4.4 billion in operating revenue and held $25 billion in assets. The company employs 2,948 full- and part-time employees, according to its website.
Wang underscored Barton’s commitment to creating a durable energy infrastructure and positioning the region for success in artificial intelligence, hyperscale data centers, and advanced industry.
WPI’s graduate ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. on May 14 and its undergraduate ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on May 15, both at DCU Center in Worcester.
Previous WPI commencement speakers include:
2025
- Undergraduate: Michelle Gass, president and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co
- Graduate: Noubar Afeyan, founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering
2024
- Undergraduate: Nancy Pimental, actress and television writer
- Graduate: Greg Tucker, founder, vice-chairman, and CEO of ProAmpac
2023
- Undergraduate: Jim McGovern, U.S. Congressman (D-MA), 2nd district
- Graduate: Catherine Ball, scientific futurist, author, and tech influencer
2022
- Undergraduate: Dr. Rochelle Walensky, physician and former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Graduate: Sethuraman Panchanathan, professor and former director of the U.S. National Science Foundation
2021 and 2020:
- No commencement speakers due to COVID
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare, manufacturing, and higher education industries.
