COLORA, MARYLAND – April 11, 2023 – Today, West Nottingham Academy, the 279-year-old institution founded by Samuel Finley and attended by signers of the Declaration of Independence, announces Marina Hatsopoulos as its 2023 Commencement Speaker.

Marina Hatsopoulos was Founding CEO of Z Corporation, an early market leader in 3D printing out of MIT, from 1994 through its sale in 2005. Currently she is Board Chair of Levitronix Technologies, the worldwide leader in magnetically-levitated bearingless motor technology, as well as President of Hellenic Innovation Network. Additionally, she sits on the MIT Corporation Visiting Committee for the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Hatsopoulos is on the Advisory Board of the Nantucket Conference, MIT Enterprise Forum Greece, Eurobank’s EGG incubator, Mindspace Startup Program, and MIT ReACT.

Hatsopoulos was a Director of Cynosure Inc., a $400 million leader in the laser aesthetics market; GSI Group, a $300 million supplier of laser-based equipment; and Contex Holding, a $100 million leading manufacturer of large-format scanners, and formerly a member of the National Board of Research & Innovation for the Republic of Cyprus. She was an investor and Director of Dear Kate, performance apparel and Tea Forte, a luxury tea brand. Hatsopoulos is the author of articles, essays and short stories that have been published in Venturebeat, The Observer, CEOWORLD Magazine, Antioch Review, Missouri Review, Bellevue Literary, and numerous other journals.

Having earned B.A. degrees from Brown University in Math and in Music, and an M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, she is a regular guest speaker at MIT Bootcamps, Brown University and other universities.

“I am deeply honored to speak to this group of students about the importance of lifelong learning, both in and out of the classroom. I hope they will come to recognize how personal initiative and leadership can lead them to great life adventures with meaningful impact” said Hatsopoulos.

When asked about Hatsopoulos’ involvement in this year’s ceremony, Dr. Sandra D. Wirth, Head of School, said “We are thrilled to have such an accomplished engineer, entrepreneur, businessperson, writer, speaker, and philanthropist as our 279th Commencement speaker. Marina Hatsopoulos will dazzle our graduates and inspire them to dream big.”

Commencement will be held Saturday, June 3, 2023, at 10:00 am. West Nottingham Academy will be graduating 37 Seniors and Post Graduates from the class of 2023.

For more information about West Nottingham Academy, including it’s global mentorship program, IGNITE, visit www.wna.org. 

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