MS NOW President and GW alum Rebecca Kutler will deliver the keynote address at the Class of 2026 Commencement ceremony on the National Mall, officials announced Wednesday.
Kutler, an Emmy-award-winning journalist and former executive producer at CNN, helped lead MSNBC’s transition and rebranding to MS NOW in November, after the network split off from NBCUniversal into the new company Versant. She received a Bachelor of Arts in political communication from GW in 2001 and also holds a Master of Science in journalism from Columbia University.
“My four years here taught me that showing up is a civic responsibility,” Kutler said in a Wednesday University release. “Whether it’s in your work, your relationships, or your role as a citizen, staying engaged is what gives life meaning.”
Since Kutler became MS NOW’s president in February 2025, the network has averaged 1.2 million primetime viewers and was projected to reach 7.7 billion viewers across YouTube and TikTok in 2025, according to Versant’s website.
Kutler said when the network rebranded in August MSNBC’s new moniker — which stands for My Source, News, Opinion, World — reflects its mission of reporting breaking news and providing “best-in-class” opinions, all rooted in facts.
Prior to working at MS NOW, Kutler served as senior vice president for content strategy at MSNBC and held several executive positions at CNN, like senior vice president and head of programming of CNN+, a subscription-based streaming service that no longer exists.
Kutler received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Coverage in 2012 for her work as senior producer on CNN’s “Election Night in America” coverage. She has also received two Peabody Awards and two duPont-Columbia Awards for her work at CNN.
Kutler will also receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the University at Commencement, according to the release.
“Rebecca’s extraordinary career and the reach and impact of her work exemplify the leadership and determination to make a difference at the heart of a GW education,” University President Ellen Granberg said in the release.
Granberg also announced the University will grant honorary degrees at the ceremony to entrepreneur Virginia Ali, who co-founded Ben’s Chili Bowl, Executive Vice President of Universal Music Group Michele Anthony and Alaska Native leader Willie Hensley.
Kutler follows WNBA star and GW Athletics Hall of Famer Jonquel Jones, who served as Commencement’s keynote speaker in 2025, and former White House Press Secretary and MS NOW anchor Jen Psaki, who addressed the class of 2024 at commencement.
GW’s Commencement Ceremony will take place less than half a mile away at the base of the Washington Monument on May 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event will coincide with a prayer event on the National Mall, hosted by President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 commission to celebrate the country’s semiquincentennial.
