Speakers

Carl Anderson
Supreme Knight

Becoming the thirteenth supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus in 2000, Carl Anderson has led the Knights and their families to unprecedented levels of charitable giving and support for their communities and Church.  Last year alone, Knights donated nearly $158 million to charity and provided 70 million volunteer hours of charitable service, with more than 653 million hours of service and $1.4 billion donated to charity during the past decade.  Supreme Knight Anderson is also the author or co-author of several books including the New York Times bestsellers A Civilization of Love: What every Catholic can do to transform the world, and (with Msgr. Eduardo Chavez) Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love.  Mr. Anderson has served in various positions of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, as well as on the U.S. Commission for Civil Rights.  A longtime educator, Mr. Anderson became the founding vice president and first dean of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. in 1988.  He currently serves as a consultant to the Pro-Life Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as its Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, and Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.  At the Vatican, Mr. Anderson serves as a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family.  He also serves as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

Michael T. Beer
Class of 2013

Michael Beer has been selected by his classmates as the Student Commencement Speaker for the 2013 Commencement Exercises. Mr. Beer previously attended Miami University in Ohio, graduating in May 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. While at Miami University, Mr. Beer was an active participant in campus life. He was a member of the Miami Finance Association, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, and the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. In addition, he founded and was involved with "The Knowles," a volunteer program for fraternity and Miami students, still active today, that supported a senior assisted living complex. Before enrolling at Ave Maria School of Law, Mr. Beer worked as a financial services associate for Prudential and as a personal banker for JP Morgan Chase. At the Law School, Mr. Beer excelled in the Research, Writing, and Advocacy classes. He joined the Moot Court Board and served as Vice President for Internal Competitions in his second year and as Moot Court Board President in his third year. Mr. Beer has pursued summer employment opportunities in Flint, Michigan, first as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Larry J. Stecco of the 67th District Court then through an internship with the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office.