Honorary Degree Recipients

Marc Randolph, co-founder and first CEO of streaming giant Netflix; Daniel L. Harple Jr., chair and CEO of Context Labs; and Katherine Angell Brewster, CEO of the Jonnycake Center for Hope in South Kingstown, will be awarded honorary degrees during URI’s Spring 2026 Commencement weekend, May 15-17, at the Ryan Center.

Randolph will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws and serve as keynote speaker during College of Business ceremony (Friday, May 15, 4pm); Harple will receive an honorary Doctor of Science during the College of Engineering ceremony (Saturday, May 16, 5pm); and Brewster will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the Feinstein College of Education ceremony (Sunday, May 17, 1pm).
Read the full press release on Rhody Today.

Katherine Angell Brewster

As CEO of South Kingstown’s Jonnycake Center for Hope, Katherine Angell Brewster has led the organization through a period of significant growth to become a cornerstone of support for residents facing economic hardship, providing food, financial assistance, housing, and youth programming.

Daniel L. Harple Jr.

Technology entrepreneur Daniel L. Harple Jr. is considered an internet pioneer who has founded and built technologies, companies, and products used by billions of internet users. He has founded, built, grown and merged numerous companies, driving global innovation and impacting users the world over.

Marc Randolph

Best known as the co-founder and first CEO of Netflix, Marc Randolph has built a reputation as a serial entrepreneur, founding or co-founding more than half a dozen successful startups. He has also mentored countless early-stage entrepreneurs and invested in a wide range of successful technology ventures.