Thomas College said it has lined up a media and sports executive with Maine ties as this year’s graduation speaker.
Bill Burke, who has served as chairman of the Portland Sea Dogs baseball team, president
of TBS and CEO of the Weather Channel Cos., will speak at Thomas College’s 123rd commencement on May 16. He will also receive an honorary degree.
Burke founded the Optimism Institute after a career in media and sports as an executive, writer and producer. He developed the idea for the institute in 2022 during a fellowship at Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative.
The Optimism Institute and his “Blue Sky” podcast are intended to combat the negative effects of news and social media on mental health. Through his podcast, he shares an optimistic vision of the world and its future; he is also a public speaker on the topic.
“Bill Burke is a creator, an inventor, a thinker and an entrepreneur,” said Thomas College President Jeannine Diddle Uzzi.
“He has had multiple careers, written books, led organizations and developed his own institute and podcast,” she added. “Bill has modeled for today’s students how a career can change over time and how creative thinkers can combine hard work and strong values to design the lives they want and make positive change in the world.”
Burke’s late father Dan founded the Portland Sea Dogs, and years later when his health began to fail, Bill succeeded him as the team’s chairman, serving in that capacity for 15 years. Burke also served on the boards of Maine Medical Center, MaineHealth, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and the U.S. Biathlon Foundation.
He is a graduate of Amherst College and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard University.
Thomas College, which has nearly 700 students, ranks No. 17 among Maine’s largest colleges and universities, according to the 2026 Mainebiz Book of Lists.
