A member of the University’s Board of Trustees and the first female chief executive officer of Tufts Medical Center will address the School of Nursing at its May 19 graduation ceremony.

Ellen Zane, who earned a bachelor of arts from GW in 1973, will speak to the second-ever graduating class for the nursing school, a 15-month program that was established in 2010 on the Virginia Science and Technology Campus.

Last fall, Zane retired as the CEO of Tufts Medical Center, which she steered for seven years, helping the medical center recover from mounting financial losses.

She was appointed to GW’s Board of Trustees in 2010.

Geraldine Bednash, chief executive officer and executive director of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, spoke at last year’s graduation ceremony.