<img width="235" height="204" alt="CoonsNettlesGrads2012 235px" src="/site/files/oldnewsfiles/CoonsNettlesGrads2012%20235px.jpg" class="FloatRight">The School of Law today announced the speakers for the 2012 commencement ceremonies to be held this May.<br><br>U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) will serve as speaker for the Delaware campus’ 38th commencement, to be held on Saturday, May 19. U.S. Attorney for South Carolina William N. Nettles will serve as speaker for the Harrisburg campus’ 21st commencement to be held Sunday, May 20. He is a 1992 graduate of Widener’s Harrisburg campus.<br><br>Coons was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 after spending 10 years working in New Castle County government – four years as New Castle County Council president and six years as county executive. He serves on the Senate Foreign Relations, Judiciary, Energy &amp; Natural Resources and Budget committees and is the only freshman senator to serve as a subcommittee chair, leading the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs. He has a law degree from Yale Law School.<br><br>Nettles began his legal career as an attorney at the Richland County, South Carolina Public Defender’s Office. He later became a founding partner in the firm of Sanders &amp; Nettles, LLC. He handled an array of civil, criminal and administrative litigation. Nettles graduated from The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, before he enrolled at Widener Law. He was a member of the law school’s <a href="/CampusLife/ActivitiesandOrganizations/WidenerLawJournal.aspx">law review</a>, <a href="/CampusLife/ActivitiesandOrganizations/MootCourtHonorSocietyHarrisburg.aspx">moot court honor society</a> and served as president of the <a href="/CampusLife/ActivitiesandOrganizations/StudentBarAssociationHarrisburg.aspx">Student Bar Association</a>.<br><br> “We are delighted with the speakers for our 2012 commencement ceremonies,” Law Dean <a href="/Academics/Faculty/ProfilesDe/AmmonsLinda.aspx">Linda L. Ammons</a> said. “I’m certain our graduates will benefit from the words of wisdom they share.”