Kevin Nagle and Eric Flowers Named as 2022 Commencement Speakers
Dear Saint Mary’s Community,
In just a few weeks, the return of in-person Commencement ceremonies will provide our entire Saint Mary’s community with the chance to gather in celebration of our graduates.
As we look forward to coming together, we have asked a pair of true Gaels to help us honor our graduates and celebrate this joyous time on campus. Today, I am pleased to announce that Chair of the Saint Mary’s Board of Trustees Kevin Nagle, Hon. EdLD ’21, will serve as this year’s undergraduate Commencement speaker. I am also pleased to share that Eric Flowers, EMBA ’04 and fellow member of the Saint Mary’s Board of Trustees, will serve as this year’s graduate Commencement speaker.
Kevin and Eric are both longtime supporters of Saint Mary’s and the College’s liberal arts, Lasallian, Catholic mission. Their contributions to our campus have been vital in ensuring positive outcomes for our students, both while they are here at Saint Mary’s and as they move into the next phases of their professional lives.
Kevin is the Chairman, CEO, and owner of Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings, the parent company of the Sacramento Republic FC. He is also one of the largest owners of the Sacramento Kings NBA team. Previously, he was the co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Envision Pharmaceutical Holdings, a $5 billion prescription benefit management company. After stepping down as CEO, he served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors until the Rite Aid Corporation acquired the company in 2015.
In addition to leading venture capital and real estate development enterprises, he serves as the Chair of Saint Mary’s Board of Trustees, where he has contributed his executive leadership acumen to help the College thrive academically and financially. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to the Sacramento region, including recent recognition from the United Cerebral Palsy Association, Greater Sacramento Economic Council, and by the Sacramento Metro Chamber as Sacramentan of the Year in 2019.
“I am delighted and honored to be the Commencement speaker this year at our undergraduate ceremony, especially since the pandemic years prevented us from coming together for a traditional in-person event,” Kevin shared.
Eric is the President and CEO of Ramsell Corporation in Oakland, Calif. As CEO, he has led Ramsell beyond its initial roots in pharmacy and PBM services, expanding the company’s tools, technology, and services in public health, and taking Ramsell into new markets, including corrections and education.
A passionate advocate of community health issues, Eric has a long history of helping others. He joined the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics’ (HAFCI) board of directors, working on a variety of committees, including finance, audit, governance, and programs, and served as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Board. He has been a member of the SMC Board of Trustees since 2017.
“The word that comes to mind for me is gratitude. Gratitude for the good and the bad that I and everyone else has faced individually and collectively,” Eric said. “The events of the last two years that include the pandemic, the value or lack thereof on social justice, the political acrimony, the economy, and the psychological trauma that we all have experienced as a society have humbled me, yet gives me strength. I and we—society that is—can be better and do better. All of our frailties and fears have been exposed and stirred, and we’ve suffered loss, but we’re still here by the grace of God. So, I have gratitude for having the opportunity to do better, be better, and encourage others to do the same.”
Please join me in thanking Kevin and Eric for their contributions to Saint Mary’s. I look forward to celebrating alongside our entire community later this month.
Best regards,
Richard Plumb, PhD
President