Chase F. Robinson (CASA '86)

Chase F. Robinson is the Spring 2026 undergraduate commencement speaker. Robinson has served as director of the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C since December 2018. Robinson also serves as the general editor of Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization and a member of the editorial board of Past & Present.

A highly regarded scholar of Islamic history and culture, Robinson has authored or edited nine books and more than 40 articles spanning the geographical and chronological breadth of the Islamic Middle East. His editorials and commentaries have appeared in several magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times.

Robinson previously served as president and provost of the City University of New York’s Graduate Center, as well as professor of early Islamic history in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford and chair of the department’s faculty board.

Robinson earned his bachelor's degree from Brown University and his doctorate from Harvard University, having also studied at the American University in Cairo.

Marwa Abbas '94, ’98‏

Marwa Abbas ’94, ’98 is the Spring 2026 graduate commencement speaker. She currently serves as the general manager and technology leader of IBM Northeast Africa, after joining the company in 1994. 

With over 30 years of experience in the technology industry, Abbas has held IBM leadership positions in Egypt, the Middle East and Africa, working in the Personal Computing Division, General Business Unit, ibm.com, Business Partner Organization and Channel Marketing. She was appointed the first female General Manager of IBM Egypt in 2022 and has played a pivotal role in expanding IBM’s centers of excellence, advancing AI and digital transformation initiatives.

In 2013, Abbas created and launched the first Middle East and Africa Digital Sales Center in Cairo and established the operation for the MEA Digital Sales Center servicing the MEA clients. 

Abbas serves on several boards and is a certified board director by the IFC World Bank Group. She holds a bachelor’s in computer science and an MBA from AUC.