Woodbury Resident Valeria S. Silva Speaks at Concordia University, St. Paul Commencement

ST. PAUL, MN (05/27/2011)(readMedia)-- Valeria S. Silva, superintendent of the St. Paul Public School System and resident of Woodbury, Minn., served as the Concordia University, St. Paul commencement speaker during the commencement ceremony May 14, 2011, at 2 p.m., in the Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia campus.

Silva encouraged graduates to not take the gift of learning for granted, but to celebrate the day they have worked toward for the past several years. She shared her top five thoughts on leadership to guide the graduates in becoming better leaders. View her speech: http://youtu.be/EmnchZTBQWY

Silva holds Bachelor of Arts degrees from St. Cloud State University and Pontificia University of Chile and Master of Arts and Education Specialist degrees from the University of Minnesota. She is also a 2009 graduate of the prestigious Broad Superintendent's Academy, which prepares prominent leaders to dramatically improve the quality of education for America's students.

Concordia University, St. Paul is a comprehensive, private university operated under the auspices of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and one of 10 schools that comprise the Concordia University System. Established in 1893, Concordia offers more than 50 liberal arts majors, including business, education, science, fine arts and church professions. Concordia University is also a regional leader in educating adult students, offering accelerated undergraduate and graduate programs in business, health sciences, education, criminal justice, communications and Christian outreach. Concordia is the only private university in Minnesota to offer NCAA Division II athletics for men and women. Visit us on the web: www.csp.edu.