Thunderbird alumnus Eric Bing to be spring 2022 convocation speaker

Thunderbird School to celebrate graduating class at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix

Portrait of Eric Bing, a 1994 graduate of the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Eric Bing, a 1994 graduate of the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, will serve as the keynote speaker at the spring 2022 convocation ceremony on May 10.

By Dasi Styles |
May 10, 2022

Eric Bing, Thunderbird alumnus, chancellor and CEO of The College of Health Care Professions (CHCP) has been named the spring 2022 convocation speaker for the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.

Bing graduated from Thunderbird in 1994 and has devoted his entire career to expanding health care education, quality health care and workforce development opportunities for communities around the world.

Since 2015, he has led CHCP, the largest allied health care training provider in Texas, and has spearheaded the institution’s work to continuously raise graduation and employment outcomes. Under his leadership, CHCP developed and implemented a nationally recognized flexible and stackable pathway model to enable economic mobility for working adults and built a career-focused strategy in partnership with over 1,500 employers.

"Eric Bing is one of Thunderbird's many esteemed and accomplished alumni," said Sanjeev Khagram, director general and dean of the Thunderbird School of Global Management. "He has worked extensively in higher education, public health and global impact, and I believe he demonstrates a remarkable set of values that empower global leaders and managers to advance inclusive and sustainable prosperity worldwide. Thank you, Eric, my friend, for being an exemplar of a global mindset, maximizing the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and continuing to push Thunderbird forward.”

Prior to leading CHCP, Bing built a traveling nursing and therapy company, as well as a company that worked to address health care workforce shortages by training and placing highly qualified Filipino nurses in major U.S. hospital systems.

Earlier in his career, he was engaged in efforts to increase health care and delivery capacity in East Africa, expanding vaccine management and antiretroviral training while creating deeper integration with international HIV/AIDS epidemic relief efforts.

An active community service leader, Bing has chaired AmeriCorps for Texas, which deploys more than 4,300 volunteers for community service projects across Texas communities. He has served Thunderbird as a trustee, chairman of the Thunderbird Global Council and currently, as a member of the Thunderbird Global Alumni Network (TGAN) Advisory Council.

Bing holds a Master of Business Administration in international finance from the Thunderbird School of Management at Arizona State University, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.

"Like many T-birds, Eric is an innovator in his field and has been responsible for educating thousands of young people who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to change their futures," said Patrick McDermott, chief engagement officer at the Thunderbird School of Global Management. “Students will be able to learn from Eric and see how his Thunderbird experience shaped him professionally and consequently positively impacted the lives of so many others.”

The spring 2022 class

Thunderbird will recognize a record of 305 graduates during the spring 2022 convocation ceremony taking place on Tuesday, May 10, at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix.

"This is our largest graduating class in the last decade and is a testament to the incredible work of so many of our staff and faculty," Khagram said. "I continue to be inspired by our graduates and their dedication to helping build a more peaceful and prosperous global community. I look forward with eager anticipation to hearing what they will conquer next and how their degree from Thunderbird encouraged them to become global leaders maximizing the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for business, government, society and the environment.

One of Thunderbird's most time-honored traditions is the Parade of International Flags, started by students in 1977. Students carry flags from different nations and introduce themselves as they share their culture from their home countries. Graduating Thunderbird students represent more than 40 countries, including Afghanistan, Austria, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Georgia, Ghana, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, The Republic of The Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America and Venezuela.

Notable graduates

Utilizing technology to connect cultures

Ashley Hernandez grew up in San Luis, Arizona, and Mexicali, Mexico. She chose to attend Arizona State University because of the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

“Thunderbird uses technology to make business and management more accessible than ever, especially on an international scale, and I want to take full advantage of this opportunity,” said the recipient of both the Obama Scholarship and Education Forward Arizona Scholarship. “My bicultural upbringing made me an individual who is eager for knowledge. This is why I decided to come to Thunderbird; I wanted to learn more about other cultures and business through a global lens.”

Gaining the competitive advantage with a 4+1 program

Frederick Rauner earned a Bachelor of Global Management and is continuing his education in a 4+1 program to earn his Master of Applied Leadership and Management with a concentration in global and public affairs.

“As part of the 4+1 program, I attended in-person sessions in the new F. Francis and Dionne Najafi Thunderbird Global Headquarters,” Rauner said. “The sessions helped create a bigger connection for me to Thunderbird and a better understanding of its history. One of my undergraduate career highlights is meeting one of my peers, Pat Kamara nee Sondai, a diplomat for Sierra Leone, during one of the in-person sessions. To me, two people from completely different worlds working together and creating a friendship is what Thunderbird is all about.”

Propelling a venture of serving communities in need

Ashraf A. Ismai, a native of Sudan, is passionate about using his Master of Global Management degree to further serve communities in need and provide quality education to refugees.

“I enrolled at Thunderbird after my childhood friend recommended it. He’s also an alumnus who always spoke greatly about his experience. He often describes his experience as life-changing. After having gone through the program, I can see what he means, because this school has truly changed my life,” Ismai said.