Montverde Academy is proud to announce that Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, President of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), will deliver the Commencement Address for the Class of 2019 Commencement on May 25 in the Montverde Academy Center for Sportsmanship and Wellness. Mr. Warren Delmolino will deliver the Baccalaureate Address. In addition, Ben Gulley, opera tenor and recording artist, and the a cappella group, Voctave, will be featured performers in the Baccalaureate and Commencement ceremonies.
Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, has led the university through a period of unrivaled growth and success since joining MTSU in 2001. His efforts enabled MTSU to become a leader in higher education in Tennessee, as well as nationally and internationally, with world-class programs that attract students from around the globe. Growing in both student numbers and facilities, MTSU has benefitted from nearly $1 billion in construction and renovation projects. Dr. McPhee has reshaped the institution’s approaches to teaching and learning to include the addition of almost 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, two colleges and more than a dozen institutes and centers. He has served on a number of boards to include two terms on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and was honored in 2018 with an American Red Cross Hero Award.
The Baccalaureate Address will be delivered by Mr. Warren Delmolino, Montverde Academy Dean of the Middle School. Mr. Del has spent his entire career in the education field, serving as a teacher, coach and administrator at Umatilla and Eustis High Schools before joining MVA in 1990 as an administrator. He has served in all three divisions at MVA, and is a respected leader with a positive attitude, team approach and unwavering dedication. An outstanding asset to the MVA community, he will be retiring at the end of this school year after 29 years of making a difference in students’ lives.
Ben Gulley, award-winning operatic tenor and BMI songwriter/recording artist, will also perform during the Baccalaureate and Commencement ceremonies. Gulley’s career is flourishing with lead and feature roles in opera, solo engagements, concert work, film work, nationwide touring, and prestigious appearances abroad. He has earned numerous awards and been hailed “as an outstanding tenor − with a voice as seamless as simple speech − incredible” by Opera News. He was a member of the SONY/BMG recording group The American Tenors.
Also performing is Voctave, a Central Florida 11-member a cappella group. With Walt Disney World entertainment roots, Voctave covers all genres from gospel to contemporary Christian, musical theater to barbershop, pop and more. The group has performed with Grammy, Dove and American Music Award recipients, ranked in the top 25 on Billboard Magazine’s charts and received more than 100 million video views on Facebook and YouTube. Voctave currently has four albums that are digitally available on all platforms.
