January 25, 2019 , Boston, MA: Bekah Salwasser poses for a headshot at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts Friday, January 25, 2019. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox)

NASHUA – Highlighting the role sports serves in communities, Rivier University will honor Boston Red Sox Foundation Executive Director Rebekah Splaine Salwasser as its 2019 honorary degree recipient and commencement speaker.

Rivier’s 84th commencement ceremony is set for 10 a.m. May 11 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts.

A strong presence in Greater Boston athletic, academic, and philanthropic communities, Salwasser advocates for sport as a stabilizing factor and means through which youth can realize their greater potential. In her role with the foundation, she works to make a difference in the lives of children, families, veterans, and communities in need by providing them with health, educational, and recreational opportunities.

“Rebekah Salwasser has an important story to tell,” Rivier President Sister Paula Marie Buley, IHM, said. “Employing the leadership, community-building, and critical thinking skills cultivated as a student and professional athlete, she has pioneered a career dedicated to the betterment of others. Her efforts and achievements exemplify sport as a unifying agent for positive change.”

A Massachusetts native and former professional soccer player with the Boston Breakers, Salwasser has dedicated herself to making a difference through sport. Prior to her role at the foundation, she held several key leadership positions with Scholar Athletes, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support academic achievement through athletics; the Boston Celtics, overseeing community relations and the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation; and the Charlestown Lacrosse & Learning Center, a nonprofit in Boston that provides academic and athletic assistance to local youth.

Currently, Salwasser serves on the board of directors for Teach for America Greater Boston and the YMCA of Greater Boston. In 2018, she was selected to Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” class.

Expanding its own efforts in support of the student-athlete experience, Rivier has launched a bachelor’s degree in sport management for fall 2019, and construction is underway on a new Athletics Pavilion that will elevate the game-day experience and provide a range of internship opportunities for students.

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