Omaha native Catherine Hughes, HON’06, named Creighton commencement speaker
Catherine L. Hughes, an Omaha native who is the founder and chairwoman of Urban One, Inc., the largest African American-owned, diversified media corporation in the nation, will address the Class of 2026 as Creighton University’s commencement speaker.
“From her early days at a small radio station in North Omaha to pioneering entirely new radio formats and now helping tell stories that may not otherwise be heard across television and digital platforms, I am eager for our graduates and their guests to hear her inspiring story,” Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, said.
Creighton’s undergraduate commencement ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 16, at 10 a.m. at the CHI Health Center Omaha. Hughes, who earned an honorary degree from Creighton in 2006 and has served on the University’s Board of Trustees since 2020, will be awarded the Creighton University Presidential Medallion for her distinguished service and commitment to Creighton’s educational mission.
This year's ceremonies will also recognize the late Bill Scott and his wife Ruth for their philanthropic contributions to the state of Nebraska and transformational friendship to Creighton University and Creighton Athletics, as well as Val Ackerman, current commissioner of the BIG EAST Conference, recognizing her leadership and influence in modern day collegiate athletics.
More information on each honoree can be found below.
Catherine L. Hughes, HON’06
Catherine L. Hughes, HON’06, is a media pioneer, serving as founder and chairwoman of Urban One, Inc., the largest African American-owned, diversified media corporation in the nation, reaching more than 80% of the African American market through radio, television and digital media.
Born and raised in Omaha, Hughes attended Creighton University, where her father was the first African American in the University’s history to earn an accounting degree.
Her experiences fueled her ambition to empower African Americans with information and tell their stories.
After starting her radio career at KOWH-AM, an African American-owned station in North Omaha, Hughes moved to Washington, D.C., in 1971 to become a lecturer at Howard University and then joined WHUR, the university’s radio station, as general sales manager.
By 1975, Hughes became the first woman vice president and general manager of a station in the nation's capital and created the “Quiet Storm,” which revolutionized urban radio and aired on more than 480 stations nationwide.
Hughes purchased WOL-AM in 1980, the foundation for Radio One, which now includes nearly 60 stations. In the late 1990s, she became the first African American woman to chair a publicly held corporation and the company expanded into television and digital media by the mid 2000s, rebranding to Urban One, Inc.
She has earned hundreds of prestigious awards and honors, including induction into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame, as well as being the namesake of the Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howard University and Cathy Hughes Boulevard in Omaha.
Hughes is also a philanthropist and champion for the homeless; a mentor to countless women; an advocate for minority communities; and a dedicated supporter of education, serving on Creighton University's Board of Trustees since 2020.
J. William (Bill) and Ruth L. Scott
J. William (Bill) Scott, a lifelong Nebraskan who passed away in 2024, started as Warren Buffett’s first employee. Following his retirement, Bill and Ruth L. Scott, his wife of 73 years, dedicated their lives to charitable giving.
With their children, the Scotts have made a generational impact at Creighton and across Nebraska. The family has given hundreds of millions of dollars to more than 160 local and statewide organizations.
Growing up on a farm north of Ashland, Nebraska — where she met Bill when she was 8 — Ruth read by the light of a kerosene lamp in a house that didn’t receive indoor plumbing until she was 12. Ruth started her career in education, teaching kindergarten and first grade. When Bill was not searching corporate reports for undervalued companies, he was leading one of Omaha’s popular polka bands, The Polonairs.
Bill and Ruth’s humble beginnings and love for their home state have translated into far-ranging support for not only Omaha and Lincoln but dozens of rural towns across Nebraska, supporting education, healthcare, research, housing, childcare and community centers alike. Ruth says that she and Bill have “gotten maximum enjoyment from our philanthropy.”
At Creighton, the Scott family has supported University operations, scholarships and facilities, including the construction of the Ryan Athletic Center, McDermott Center, the Rasmussen Center, the School of Dentistry and the CL and Rachel Werner Center for Health Sciences Education.
This year, Ruth and her son, Don Scott, made the lead gift to the future sports performance facility, The Bill. The Bill is taking shape next to The Ruth, the practice facility the volleyball team chose to name after her. Through support of such facilities, as well as scholarships, Ruth’s passion for volleyball has left an indelible mark on women’s athletics — at Creighton and throughout Nebraska.
Valerie B. Ackerman, JD
Valerie B. Ackerman, JD, was named the fifth Commissioner of the Big East Conference on June 26, 2013.
She is an inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2021), the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2011), the New Jersey Hall of Fame (2021) and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame (2023).
While at the helm of the BIG EAST, Ackerman has presided over the rebirth of the conference as one of the premier conferences in college basketball.
Conference initiatives focused on student-athletes and academic partnerships under Ackerman’s leadership include the annual BIG EAST Student-Athlete Well-Being Forum; a career networking event for students from all BIG EAST schools; meetings of member school provosts and admissions and development officers; the BIG EAST Investment Summit; and the BIG EAST Research Poster Symposium.
She attended the University of Virginia as one of the school's first female student-athlete scholarship recipients, graduating with high distinction and a degree in political and social thought in 1981 before earning a law degree from UCLA in 1985.
Following roles at the National Basketball Association and as founding president of the Women’s National Basketball Association, Ackerman served as president of USA Basketball for the 2005-2008 term, leading the organization to gold medal performances by the U.S. men's and women's basketball teams at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
She is on the Board of Directors of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and is a Life Trustee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. She is also currently a member of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee and is an advisor to the Vatican’s Sport at the Service of Humanity initiative.
Her accomplishments in the sports business have earned her numerous awards, including induction into the GTE Academic All-America Hall of Fame; the Girl Scouts of America National Women of Distinction Juliette Award; the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association President’s Citation; the International Olympic Committee Women and Sport Achievement Diploma; the Sports Business Journal Champions in Sports Business Award; and inclusion as a Women’s Sports Foundation/ESPNW 40 for 40 Honoree.
She is married to Charlie Rappaport, a retired tax partner of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. They have two adult daughters, Emily and Sally, and a daughter-in-law, Sunday Helmerich.
