LACEY, Wash. – Saint Martin’s University is pleased to name Bishop Michael F. Olson, S.T.D., M.A., as the 2025-2026 commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient. Bishop Olson will be recognized as a doctor of humane arts, honoris causa, and will address the graduating Class of 2026 on Saturday, May 9. The University also celebrates the academic achievements of its valedictorian, Bethany Hutson, and salutatorian, Zachary Mandlin, who have distinguished themselves through their scholarship and community service.
“We are honored to welcome Bishop Michael Olson to Saint Martin’s as our 2026 commencement speaker and to confer upon him an honorary degree in recognition of his distinguished service to the Church and his leadership in moral theology and Catholic education,” said Saint Martin’s University President Bill Brownsberger, S.T.D. “His commitment to the Gospel and intellectual inquiry offers an inspiring example for our graduates as they begin the next chapter of their lives. We are also proud to celebrate our valedictorian, Bethany Hutson, and salutatorian, Zachary Mandlin, whose academic excellence and dedication to service reflect the enduring values of a Saint Martin’s education.”
Commencement speaker & honorary degree recipient Most Reverend Michael F. Olson, S.T.D., M.A.
Bishop Michael F. Olson was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Fort Worth on June 3, 1994, and appointed by Pope Francis as the fourth Bishop of Fort Worth on November 19, 2013. He was ordained and installed on January 29, 2014.
Bishop Olson was the recipient of the Theodore Basselin Fellowship in Philosophy at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America in 1988 and 1989. He earned an M.A.T.S. and M.Div. from the University of Saint Thomas in Houston in May 1994. After graduate studies at the Center for Health Care Ethics as a Presidential Fellow at Saint Louis University, Bishop Olson earned his doctorate in moral theology at the Academia Alfonsiana in Rome with a concentration in Bioethics. His dissertation is entitled “The Function of Prudence in Withholding/Withdrawal of Assisted Hydration and Nutrition from PVS Patients: A Consideration of the Approach of Germain Grisez.”
He was a member of faculty at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Houston, lectured at the University of Saint Thomas School of Theology, the University of Dallas, and served as rector of Holy Trinity Seminary from July 1, 2008 until his appointment to serve as the Bishop Of Fort Worth in 2013. Between August 2008 and 2021, Bishop Olson participated as a regular panelist of the ecumenical television show, the “American Religious Town Hall.”
Since his appointment as the Bishop of Fort Worth, he has served in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) as a member of the following committees: Committee on International Peace and Justice, Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, and the Committee of Doctrine, Chair of the Subcommittee on HeathCare Issues, Committee on Religious Liberty. Bishop Olson is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Oblate School of Theology and Saint Joseph Seminary College and the Advisory Committee for Theological College.
Valedictorian Bethany Hutson
Valedictorian Bethany Hutson is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and a minor in French, earning a 4.0 cumulative GPA. She grew up in Shelton, Washington, and attended Capital High School in Olympia, where she participated in Running Start and graduated with an Associate of Arts. After graduating from Saint Martin’s, she plans to teach French at a local high school before pursuing a secondary endorsement in Biology.
Bethany is currently a student teacher in a 9–12 French classroom at Clover Park High School. During her time at Saint Martin’s, she remained active in her church as a Sunday school teacher and member of the worship team, and she earned Dean’s List honors every semester.
She would like to thank her God for guiding her steps, her mother for motivating her, her family for always encouraging her, and her friends and professors Kathleen McKain, M.A., Karen Widdowson, Ph.D., and Michele Bledsoe, Ph.D., for supporting her throughout her time at Saint Martin’s University.
Salutatorian Zachary Mandlin
Salutatorian Zachary Mandlin is graduating with a double major in psychology and biology. Born in the Midwest, he grew up on the West Coast and has called Tumwater, Washington home since high school. After graduating from Northwest Christian High School, he attended the University of Washington, initially studying business before discovering his passion for medicine and transferring to Saint Martin’s. After graduation, he plans to take the MCAT and attend medical school to become a psychiatrist.
At Saint Martin’s, Zachary conducted research on cancer-fighting drugs and contributed to environmental research on biocontrol agents. He is a member of both the Psi Chi and TriBeta honor societies, and serves as a tutor supporting fellow students in psychology and science courses.
Beyond academics, he competes in track and field as a shot putter, ranking fourth in Saint Martin’s history, and has supported the women’s basketball team as a practice player. He also volunteers at MultiCare Capital Medical Center, shadowing physicians and assisting patients.
Zachary thanks his professors, coaches, doctors and friends for challenging him with opportunities that ultimately became his greatest sources of growth. He dedicates this achievement to his family, without whose unrelenting support and steadfast compassion his success would never have been possible.
Commencement
The Saint Martin’s University Commencement ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, at the Hal and Inge Marcus Pavilion on the University’s Lacey campus, 5300 Pacific Ave SE. Tickets are required for attendance; doors will open at 9 a.m. There will also be a livestream of the event for those wishing to view virtually. For more information on the 2026 Commencement and to access the livestream, please visit www.stmartin.edu/commencement.
About Saint Martin’s University:
Saint Martin’s University is an independent coeducational university, with undergraduate and graduate offerings, located on a wooded campus of more than 380 acres in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 13 Benedictine colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University empowers students to pursue a lifetime of learning and accomplishment through its 31 majors, 11 master’s programs, one doctorate program and six certificate programs spanning the arts and sciences, business, counseling, education, engineering, nursing, and leadership. Saint Martin’s welcomes more than 1,300 undergraduate students and 250 graduate students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its Lacey campus, and more students to its extended campus located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
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Commencement information
Saint Martin's University Commencement will be held on Saturday, May 9, at 10 a.m. in the Marcus Pavilion. The event may be viewed over our livestream as well.