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Baldwin Celebrates Its 134th Graduating Class
On Thursday, June 9, 66 seniors graduated from The Baldwin School as the 134th graduating class. These seniors earned 240 acceptances to 184 unique colleges and universities. More than 76 percent were admitted to their top choice schools.
This year's commencement keynote speaker was alumna Jody Gerson ’79, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), Universal Music’s leading global music publishing division. With more than three decades of experience, Gerson is one of music’s most respected, accomplished executives and a preeminent creative authority. She is the first female chairman of a global music company and the first woman to be named CEO of a major music publisher.
Since joining UMPG in 2015, Gerson has transformed the company into a billion-dollar business and the industry’s best global home to songwriters. Under her leadership, UMPG dramatically improved its competitive and financial performance, growing its revenue 76 percent. Recently, Gerson has led the acquisitions of the legendary catalogs of Bob Dylan, Sting and Neil Diamond. Additionally, she has overseen the signings and extensions of world class songwriters, including Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, Elton John, the Bee Gees, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Prince, Billie Eilish, Rosalía, Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Jack White, SZA, Post Malone, Quavo, Ariana Grande, H.E.R., Maren Morris and many more.
A strong advocate for women’s empowerment, Gerson cofounded and serves on the Board of Directors for She Is The Music, a nonprofit championing equality and inclusion for women in the industry. She also serves on boards for the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, MusiCares, the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and The Archer School for Girls.
In January 2020, Gerson made history by becoming the first music publishing executive and first woman to receive Billboard’s ‘Executive of the Year’ for their prestigious Power 100 list. Gerson has also been named to numerous prominent honors, including Billboard's Power 100 for several consecutive years; Variety’s Hitmakers Executive of the Year; Billboard's 2015 Executive of the Year for their Women In Music issue; Rolling Stone’s ‘Future 25’; Variety’s Power of Women L.A.; The 2016 March of Dimes Inspiring Woman of the Year for her accomplishments as a leader in the entertainment industry and as a dedicated mother, and more.
In addition to her work in music, Gerson has served as executive producer on numerous television shows, including HBO’s ‘The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart’ and HBO’s ‘Music Box’ series and produced the feature films ‘Drumline’ and ‘ATL.’
Prior to joining Universal Music, Gerson served as Co-President of Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Before that, she was part of the senior management team at EMI Music Publishing, serving as head of the company’s east coast publishing division and then revitalizing and leading EMI’s west coast division.
The student class speaker for the 2022 commencement ceremony was Grace Halak. Miss Halak, who was elected by her peers and will attend Yale University in the fall, delivered her speech on June 9 at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church.
Facts about The Baldwin School Class of 2022:
- $31.5 million in merit scholarships were received.
- Almost 20% of students received acceptances into an Ivy League+ school: Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University.
- 21 students recognized by National Merit Scholarship Program.
- Class average SAT scores were 290 points above the national average.
- 26% will continue their athletic careers in college.
- 18% of the class has attended Baldwin since Kindergarten.
