Chapman is excited to announce the commencement speakers for 2011 and 2012.

U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte, Jr. will be the commencement speaker for 2011. Birotte is the son of Haitian immigrants and was recently sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. Appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Birotte is responsible for all federal litigation in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Birotte served as Inspector General of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye will be the commencement speaker for 2012. Cantil-Sakauye was recently nominated by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. The three-member Commission of Judicial Appointment comprised of retiring Chief Justice Ronald George, Attorney General Jerry Brown and appellate court justice Joan Dempsey Klein unanimously confirmed her to the California Supreme Court in August. If her nomination is confirmed by the voters in November, Cantil-Sakauye will become the first Filipino and Asian-American chief justice in California history as well as the first woman chief justice.