CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Washington College Class of 2013 will hear words of wisdom and advice from a seasoned politician, civic leader and media personality known for speaking his mind—Ed Rendell. The former two-term governor of Pennsylvania, who also served eight years as mayor of Philadelphia, will be the main speaker at the College’s 230th Commencement on Sunday, May 19.

Rendell’s advice for the graduates just might include “don’t be a wuss.” His 2012 memoir, A Nation of Wusses: How America’s Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great, bemoaned what he saw as the failure among today’s political and government leaders to take risks and take care of business. Its title came from his famous response to the NFL postponing a Philadelphia Eagles playoff game because of a snowstorm in 2010. “It goes against everything that football is all about,” Gov. Rendell told a radio station in a sound bite that went viral. “We’ve become a nation of wusses.”

Before leaving the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion, Rendell partnered with New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and then-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to co-found “Building America’s Future,” an educational coalition that calls for national investment in infrastructure. The group’s 2011 report on transportation infrastructure, “Falling Apart and Falling Behind,” outlines the mounting threat that outdated facilities, from roads and bridges to trains and ports, pose to the nation’s quality of life and economic health.

He also is co-chair of Campaign to Fix the Debt, a bipartisan effort launched in July 2012 to address the country’s long-term debt and deficits.

Edward G. Rendell served two terms as District Attorney of Philadelphia before running successfully for mayor. As the city’s top executive from 1992 through 1999, he earned glowing reviews for putting Philadelphia’s finances in order and fueling a civic renaissance. The New York Times credited him with  “the most stunning turnaround in recent urban history.” 

He served as the 45th Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2003 until early 2010. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Villanova Law School, he is a political analyst for NBC and MSNBC news programs.

The Washington College commencement is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. on the Campus Lawn and is open to the public. In case of inclement weather, the event will move into the Johnson Fitness Center as a ticketed event. For more information, visit www.washcoll.edu.