Presence and purpose: VCU Business celebrates the Class of 2025
At commencement, keynote speakers offered not just advice, but honesty and perspective.
Commencement weekend is one of VCU’s oldest rituals—solemn in its symbols and full of anticipation. For the VCU School of Business, it was also a weekend of voices: two ceremonies, two keynotes and no shortage of advice.
On May 8, master’s and doctoral graduates gathered at the Stuart C. Siegel Center for an evening ceremony that honored both their academic achievements and the transitions still ahead. Addressing the crowd was alumnus Larry Holman, a veteran of the global wine industry whose four-decade career has taken him from bagging groceries in Richmond to leading international brands in California’s wine country.
Holman, who graduated from the School of Business in 1979, opened his remarks with modest humor. “Isn’t this the kind of thing government dignitaries do?” he joked, before leaning into a story defined less by planning than by presence.
“I didn’t seek out my career,” he said. “I stumbled into it—but only because I stayed curious and open.”
He traced his professional journey through three turning points: listening in on supplier conversations while restocking milk crates in a grocery store; undergoing rigorous business training at E. & J. Gallo; and encountering a passionate winemaker whose reverence for the craft shaped Holman’s own sense of purpose. “At that moment,” he recalled, “the industry had become both my vocation and avocation.”
Holman’s reflections landed somewhere between practical and poetic. He offered graduates a list of earned insights—short, direct and distinctly his own. Among them: “Don’t wait to be ready,” “Be like a mouse—big ears, small mouth” and “Sometimes passion follows presence.” Even his career setbacks, including a mid-career demotion, became a study in long-game resilience. “Some opportunities you earn,” he said. “Others, you stumble into. But only if you’re paying attention.”
Less than 48 hours later, more than 500 undergraduate students filled the same arena—greeted by cheers, families in the stands and a keynote speaker with his own story of purpose and perseverance.
Thomas Ransom, a Virginia native and president of the Virginia region at Truist Financial, began with a question he predicted students would hear often in the coming days: What’s next? But rather than deliver a one-size-fits-all answer, he invited graduates to look inward.
“What energizes you?” he asked. “What gives you joy? What wakes you up in the morning?”
Ransom, who was the first in his family to attend college, told students that clarity doesn’t always come early—but it does come. “When you know your why,” he said, repeating the phrase, “you can thrive through adversity. You can be confident during the storm.”
His message, both personal and reflective, spoke to how purpose can shift the course of a life. Ransom shared stories of overcoming learning challenges as a child and finding motivation in service to others. He spoke about his work with youth shelters, including one former resident who returned years later as a successful entrepreneur and employer. “We changed the world for him,” Ransom said. “And now he’s changing the world for the people who work for him.”
The most lasting success, he told graduates, wouldn’t come from avoiding failure—but from learning how to carry it. “Failure will not define you,” he said. “It will refine you.”
As he closed, Ransom offered five values that have guided his leadership: gratitude, empowerment, clear communication, accountability and support. “If you don’t remember anything else,” he said. “I hope you embrace at least one of these—and define the rest for yourself.”
The School of Business conferred more than 650 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. To see highlights from commencement weekend, view our graduate ceremony album and undergraduate ceremony album on Facebook.
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