Rachelle Aud Crowe to Speak at LC 55th Commencement

GODFREY - Lewis and Clark Community College will celebrate its 55th annual Commencement, May 20, 2026, featuring alumna and former Illinois Senator Rachelle Aud Crowe as the event's keynote speaker.

The ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. at the Hatheway Cultural Center's Ann Whitney Olin Theatre.

"It is a tremendous honor to welcome former Sen. Crowe to Lewis and Clark," said LC President Ken Trzaska. "She is a longtime friend and passionate advocate of our college, and her pivotal role in helping us secure $37.5M in 2021 for the highly anticipated Main Complex renovation is only one small example of her commitment. We are so excited for her to share words of inspiration as our graduates celebrate this important milestone."

Crowe most recently served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois from 2022 to 2025. Prior to that, she served as the State Senator for the 56th District in Illinois from 2019-2022 and as an Assistant State's Attorney in Madison County from 2006-2018.

A lifelong resident of Illinois, Crowe was born and raised in Wood River and graduated from Roxana High School. She obtained degrees from Lewis and Clark, as well as the University of Missouri at St. Louis, and Saint Louis University's School of Law.

"Attending Lewis and Clark gave me the time I needed to continue moving forward while figuring out exactly what I wanted to be," she said. "For me, it was a perfect fit. I had a lot of support at Lewis and Clark."

As U.S. Attorney, Crowe led the office responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in downstate Illinois, including crimes related to terrorism, firearm violence, narcotics, child exploitation, human trafficking, financial fraud, health care fraud, public corruption and other justice-related issues.

The office also represented the United States in affirmative and defensive civil cases, as well as provided assistance to communities throughout southern Illinois to improve public safety.

During her time as a State Senator, she was the first woman in state history to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee. She also served on the Tourism and Hospitality, Labor, Licensed Activities and Veterans Affairs Committees and served as the voice of her district to shape state laws, policies and budgets.

Her career has brought her back to the college a number of times - one of the most notable being her involvement in securing funds for the Main Complex Renovation project.

"The college just continues to improve - not only aesthetically, but the quality of the teachers and administration as well," Crowe said. "I think Lewis and Clark's been very fortunate with the leadership that it has had over the years, that there's been the insight to see how it can grow and how it can serve the community."

At the same time, she said it still feels familiar - almost like home.

"You get the immediate feeling of comfort when you walk onto the campus," she said. "It's very welcoming."

Crowe said she's excited to address this year's graduates. In thinking about her message, she encourages the Class of 2026 to be confident about what they have to offer.

"My advice would be that they're more prepared than they know," she said. "Lewis and Clark really does lay a foundation for its students and a level of confidence that they're going to be able to move on to that next step and find what the right fit is for them."

Vice President of Enrollment and Student Affairs Cherise Jackson said the college is looking forward to celebrating with the students and their guests.

"You've pushed yourselves and achieved great things," she said. "We can't wait to see what's next."

Tickets are required for entry. Each graduate will be given a set number of guest tickets, based on participation in this year's ceremony and space available.

Additional guests can watch a livestream of the ceremony broadcast in The Commons, which will be the location for a post-ceremony reception or stream the ceremony online via the college's YouTube channel, youtube.com/lewisandclarkcc.

To learn more, visit www.lc.edu/graduation.