Commencement Speaker

Samuel Rodriguez

Lead Pastor, New Season Church

Samuel Rodriguez, Commencement Speaker 2023

Samuel Rodriguez is the lead pastor of New Season Church, one of America's most influential megachurches, according to Newsmax, and serves as the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Rodriguez has been recognized by CNN, FOX News, Univision, and Telemundo as America's most influential Latino/Hispanic faith leader.

Charisma magazine named Rodriguez one of the 40 leaders who changed the world. The Wall Street Journal named him one of the top 12 Latino leaders. He was the only faith leader on the list. He has been named among the "Top 100 Christian Leaders in America" (Newsmax, 2018) and nominated as one of the "100 most influential people in the world" (TIME, 2013).

Rodriguez has advised Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump and frequently consults with members of Congress to advance life, religious liberty, and biblical justice initiatives, including immigration and criminal justice reform. He is the best-selling author of Be Light and executive producer of three films, including BREAKTHROUGH. Rodriguez is the recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award presented by the Congress of Racial Equality.