News & Events

Local entrepreneur and artist to speak at fall commencement

A new class of more than 100 Penn State Berks students will receive their baccalaureate and associate degrees on Saturday, December 19, at 10:00 a.m. in the Beaver Community Center when Berks hosts the fall 2009 commencement ceremony.

The keynote speaker will be Edward Babiarz, co-founder of Quality Enhancement Support Team (QEST), a company located in Sinking Spring that performs outcome- based evaluation work for local, state, and national social service agencies, as well as various government entities. His position involves logistics, quality assurance, data base design and management, and technical assistance.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Babiarz is also an award-winning artist who exhibits his work nationally and internationally. Themes of his work run from personifying inanimate physical objects to constructing more abstract non-representational images. He has received far ranging recognition, critical acclaim, and numerous awards for his work in the U.S. and Canada. Most recently, he was awarded second place in the Society of Canadian Artists Open Juried Exhibition held in Toronto this past May. Babiarz often uses his art as a way to support local charitable organizations.

Born in Scranton, Babiarz is a graduate of Marywood University, and he is listed in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He is actively involved with fundraising for local charitable organizations.