The Talk Co-Host Ms. Sheryl Underwood to Deliver the Benedict College Spring Commencement Address

April 23, 2015 - PRLog -- The Benedict College Spring Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2015 will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2015, at the Charlie W. Johnson Stadium located on Two Notch Road and Read Street in Columbia, South Carolina. Ms. Sheryl Underwood, Co-Host of THE TALK on CBS, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Benedict College and will give the keynote address during the College’s 145th Commencement Exercises.

Sheryl Underwood, who has been a member of the Benedict College Board of Trustees since 2014, is a savvy businesswoman and a multi-faceted, multimedia entrepreneur who is recognized as one of the most articulate, well informed women of our time. She is a much sought after entertainer and public speaker who is described as one of the world’s brightest contemporary humorists. Underwood is Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Pack Rat Productions, Inc. and is the 23rd International President of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Underwood joined the television show THE TALK on CBS for the start of season two, sitting alongside hosts Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, and Aisha Tyler. The show averages over 3 million viewers per day. With Underwood at the table, THE TALK received its first Daytime Emmy nomination, and a 5th year renewal on CBS television. Underwood, who has received numerous awards and accolades, was named one of the 10 most influential talk show hosts on Twitter in 2012 and is the subject of the TVOne bio-documentary “UNSUNG Hollywood: Sheryl Underwood.”

Underwood, through her company, Pack Rat Productions, is currently raising money to support the 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the students committed to pursuing a higher education. Underwood has been featured in Ebony magazine, ESSENCE magazine, JET magazine, Entertainment Weekly and in other major media outlets. In addition, she was included in the 100 Most Influential Organization Leaders published in Ebony Magazine. Underwood has always believed that a “rising  tide  floats  all  boats”  and  has  made  a conscientious  effort  to  include  her  colleagues  of  the fraternities   and sororities, that  comprise   the  Divine  Nine  and  members   of  Greekdom,   in  media opportunities  that are offered  to her, including  an historic  appearance  she orchestrated  on the highly popular “Monique  Show” on Black Entertainment Television  (BET), as well as BET’s Celebration  of Gospel and the NAACP Image Awards.

Underwood  is an actress  who has appeared  on multiple  episodes  of the Emmy winning  CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless and has starred in such films as Bullworth (starring Warren Beatty), I Got the Hook Up, and Beauty Shop (starring Queen Latifah).  In addition, Underwood was the host of Black Entertainment Television’s (BET’s) Comic View and Holla, a talk show she created and produced which was loosely based on Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect. She is a weekly contributor on the Steve Harvey Morning Show, also serving as “guest host,” and appears on The Steve Harvey Project, the television version of the show airing on BET Centric. Underwood also hosted The Sheryl Underwood Show  on Jamie  Foxx’s  The  Foxxhole,  airing  on Sirius  106/XM  149,  where  she provided a mix  of political satire, comedy and music.   She can be heard on the radio daily from 3-7 p.m. on Sheryl Underwood Radio airing on North Carolina A&T State University radio station WNAA 90.1  FM  -  Greensboro,  NC;  WVAS-FM  - Montgomery,  Alabama;  97.5  KDEE  FM  - Sacramento, CA; WMFA - Raeford, NC; KMGG, 99.9 THE BEAT - Albuquerque, NM, Benedict College radio Station WBLK 93.7 -Columbia, SC, and online at Tunein.com. Underwood  was  the  host of  Martin  Lawrence  Presents  1st  Amendment  Stand-Up  and  is  a  former contributor to the Tom Joyner Morning Show.   Underwood has appeared on the Dr. Phil Show, FOX television network morning show Fox and Friends, the Joy Behar Show, WPIX in New York City, The View, created by ABC News Correspondent Barbara Walters, OMG! Insider, CBS This Morning, and Whose Line Is It Anyway.

Underwood has an Associates of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Fresno City College, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Master’s degree in Media Management and Mass Communication from Governor State University in University Park, IL, and an Attorney Assistant Certificate  from  UCLA.

Contacts:

Kymm Hunter, Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing; 803.705.4519 hunterk@benedict.edu

Carolyn Wigfall, Communications and Marketing Manager; 803.705.4366 wigfallc@benedict.edu