FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  |  March 31, 2016

Chambersburg, Pa. — Author and journalist A’Lelia Bundles will address the senior class at the 146^th annual Wilson College commencement ceremony, which begins at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 15.

Bundles — a former ABC News producer, chair of the National Archives Foundation and great-great-granddaughter and biographer of African-American icon Madam C.J. Walker — currently is at work on her fourth book, The Joy Goddess of Harlem: The Life and Times of A’Lelia Walker, a biography of her great-grandmother. Her previous books about her great-great-grandmother, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, Madam C. J. Walker: Entrepreneur and Madam Walker Theater Center: An Indianapolis Treasure have received a number of awards, including the New York Times Notable Book award and the Letitia Woods Brown Book Prize.

Bundles had a 30-year career as an executive and producer in network television news, most recently as director of talent development for ABC News in Washington, D.C. and New York. She was deputy bureau chief of ABC News in Washington from 1996 to 1999, after 20 years as a network television producer with ABC and NBC News. From 1989 until 1996 she was a producer with ABC’s “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.”

Bundles is a vice chair of the Columbia University board of trustees. She also serves as president and chair of the board of the National Archives Foundation, the nonprofit partner that provides funds and support for the exhibitions, programs and educational materials of the National Archives. She is also a sought-after speaker on entrepreneurship, philanthropy, financial literacy, women’s history and African-American history.

Among Bundles’ journalism awards are a du Pont Gold Baton and an Emmy. She has been inducted into the Black Memorabilia Hall of Fame and the North Central High School Hall of Fame in Indianapolis. She is a recipient of a 2002 Harvard Alumni Association Award for outstanding service through alumni activities, a 2004 Radcliffe Distinguished Service Award and a 2007 Columbia University Alumni Medalist.

In 2003, she created the “100 Books, 100 Women” campaign to expand the library at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in New York. She also spearheaded the national campaign that led to the 1998 U. S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage stamp of Madam Walker.

Bundles graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and Radcliffe College, and received a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and an honorary doctorate from Indiana University. She is a member of the Alpha Iota Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at Harvard College and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She lives in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.aleliabundles.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:       
Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations
Phone: 717-262-2604
Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu

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Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 29 majors and seven master’s degrees. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation. Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college has a fall 2015 enrollment of 923, which includes students from 22 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.