Taft Chicago partner Graham Grady gave the commencement address for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Communication’s virtual graduation ceremony on May 17. In his speech, Grady remarked that the class of 2020 has had to “learn the lessons of resiliency, adaption, and respond to situations as they evolve” and that the “highs and lows together have made you who you are and brought you to this point.”

Grady is an alumnus of the University of Illinois U of I Department of Communications. He focuses his practice on real estate development, government relations, and the representation of not-for-profit organizations. He is a director of WTTW/WFMT, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Civic Consulting Alliance, the Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, and treasurer of the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation. He is active in numerous philanthropic activities including the African-American Legacy of the Chicago Community Trust. Grady is also the founder of Chicago African-Americans in Commercial Real Estate.