By Laken Franchetti, Editor-in-Chief
Today, President Bob Iuliano announced in an email to seniors that two-time Tony Award-winning producer Debra Martin Chase will be the Commencement Speaker for the class of 2024’s Commencement Ceremony on May 18.
“From the Broadway stage to television to movies, Ms. Chase has produced empowering stories highlighting women and people of color for more than three decades,” Iuliano said. “Her work has also garnered Peabody and Critics Choice Awards, as well as Academy, Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, Producers Guild, BET, and NAACP Image Award nominations. Ms. Chase has made a resounding impact on society and, in so many ways, personifies what it means to lead a consequential life.”
Chase is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Harvard Law School, and she worked as a lawyer before moving to Hollywood to follow her passion for film and television. She became an executive at Columbia Pictures and has run Denzel Washington’s production company and Whitney Houston’s BrownHouse Productions.
“In 2000, Ms. Chase started her own company, Martin Chase Productions, which was affiliated with the Walt Disney Company, making her the first Black female producer to have a deal with a major studio,” Iuliano shared. “Her company currently has an overall deal with Universal Television, a division of the NBCUniversal Television Group.”
Some of Chase’s movies include “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” “The Princess Diaries” and “Harriet.” Her other works include “The Equalizer,” “Being Mary Tyler Moore” and the “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” which stars Brandy and Whitney Houston.
In 2022, Chase co-produced the Broadway musical “A Strange Loop,” and the musical won Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Book. She also produced the 2022 Broadway revival of the play “Topdog/Underdog,” which won the Tony for Best Revival of a Play. Chase’s upcoming musical is “The Outsiders,” which is based upon the book and movie of the same name.
“Debra Martin Chase is an inspiring role model whose vision and determination have redefined an industry, and whose commitment to the greater good continues to chart new paths for tomorrow’s leaders and doers. On behalf of our entire Gettysburg College community, especially all of you—our graduating Class of 2024—I am deeply honored to welcome Ms. Chase to our campus for this year’s Commencement Ceremony,” Iuliano concluded.
