As part of the Class of 2026 commencement exercises, Occidental College will award four honorary degrees.
Commencement speaker Anna Malaika Tubbs will be joined by three honorary degree recipients at this year’s ceremony: Dr. Namandjé N. Bumpus ’03, former FDA principal deputy commissioner and chief scientist and a leading pharmacologist; Mike Curb, founder and chairman of Curb Records and president of the Mike Curb Foundation; and Dr. Gloria Duffy ’75, president and CEO of the Commonwealth Club and former deputy assistant secretary of defense under President Clinton. Bumpus and Duffy have both served on the Occidental College Board of Trustees.
Namandjé N. Bumpus ’03
Dr. Namandjé N. Bumpus is Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer at Charles River Laboratories. In this role, she leads the company’s scientific strategy, oversees its research and development portfolio, and advances innovation in nonclinical science. She also serves as a venture partner at F‑Prime Capital and is a member of the Board of Directors of Recursion Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Bumpus previously served as principal deputy commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency’s number two leadership role. She joined the FDA as chief scientist and was promoted to principal deputy commissioner. In that role, she oversaw agency operations and worked closely with the Commissioner to develop and implement key public health initiatives.
Before entering federal service, Dr. Bumpus spent 12 years on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she rose through the ranks to become the E.K. Marshall and Thomas H. Maren Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences. An internationally recognized expert in basic, translational, and clinical pharmacology, her research has advanced understanding of how genetics influence drug safety and infectious disease pharmacology.
A dedicated teacher and mentor, Dr. Bumpus received the Johns Hopkins University Professor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Biomedical Sciences. Her scientific contributions have been recognized through numerous national and international honors, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers; the Leon I. Goldberg and Abrams Awards from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics; the James Gillette Award from the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics; and the John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Dr. Bumpus is also an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in the field of medicine.
Bumpus completed her postdoctoral fellowship at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. She earned her Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Michigan and her bachelor’s degree in biology from Occidental College.
Mike Curb
Mike Curb is the former Acting Governor and Lieutenant Governor of California, a GRAMMY award-winning record producer, a Billboard record producer of the year, a BMI multi award-winning songwriter and a championship motorsports owner. Curb is the founder and chairman of Curb Records and has been an abiding presence in various facets of American culture for over six decades. A key figure in the fields of music and business, he has also made significant inroads into philanthropy and public service.
Mike is a recognized industry leader in the entertainment field. He continues to preside over his own independent record company that he founded over 60 years ago and which is the oldest independent record company in the United States that is still independently distributed. He is just as well known for his many contributions to socio-civic causes. The name “Mike Curb” is, in fact, almost synonymous with creative achievement and community involvement.
An in-depth look at Mike Curb shows an enviable track record of career success, and it also attests to his enduring influence on education and civil rights. His involvement in social programs alone demonstrates an uncommon passion for serving people across the country.
Gloria Duffy ’75
Dr. Gloria Duffy is the co-president and co-CEO of the Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California, and principal of Duffy Investments. She is an expert on national security issues, and served as a commissioner of the 2022-23 Congressional Strategic Posture Commission. Duffy served as deputy assistant secretary of defense under President Clinton, convincing and assisting former Soviet countries to dismantle their weapons of mass destruction. She is a member of national security working groups at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, the US Institute of Peace, and other organizations. Duffy has served on and chaired a number of boards related to scientific research, parks, health, public policy, education, and social causes.
Duffy earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Occidental College (magna cum laude). She earned a MA, M.Phil, and Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University, and a Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa) from the University of San Francisco.
Anna Malaika Tubbs
Two-time New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed multidisciplinary scholar Dr. Anna Malaika Tubbs is a leading expert on race, gender, and equity. Tubbs holds a Ph.D. in sociology and a master’s degree in multidisciplinary gender studies from the University of Cambridge, as well as a bachelor’s degree in medical anthropology from Stanford University. Her work bridges academic research and public scholarship, translating complex ideas into clear, engaging stories for broad audiences.
Her first book, The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation, was published in 2021 and was widely recognized as one of the year’s most influential works. Her second book, Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us, was released in May 2025; and examines how the hierarchical system the founding fathers designed continues to impact our daily lives. Her writing has appeared in TIME Magazine, New York Magazine, Newsweek, The Guardian, and other major outlets, and her TED Talk has been viewed more than two million times.