Nelson Peña de Jesús selected as 2026 commencement speaker

By Sophia Oppedisano 

Editor-in-Chief 

By Dylan Pichnarcik 

Associate Editor 

'Nelson Peña de Jesús, president of Nestlé USA’s Global Culinary Kitchen division, has been selected as the 2026 undergraduate commencement speaker. 

Nestlé oversees the Toll House cookie brand, made famous by Alumna Ruth Graves Wakefield, Class of 1924, who is credited as the inventor of the chocolate chip cookie. 

To make this decision, Dan Magazu, executive director of Marketing & Communications, said, historically, a committee of faculty, staff, administrators, and students is formed. Magazu also serves as chair of this committee.

He said the committee’s process has been to seek recommendations for speakers from graduating seniors, brainstorm with the working group, and vote to produce a ranked list. 

This list is then submitted to President Nancy Niemi, who makes the final decision. 

Magazu said the speaker is not paid, however, the University does offer to pay for travel expenses.

This year, while the committee pursued their candidates, Niemi ran a parallel effort to honor Wakefield at this year's ceremony. 

President Nancy Niemi said the committee’s first, second, and third choices were unavailable, and she suggested contacting Nestlé to showcase the connection to Wakefield. “The Toll House cookie is on the back of that package, and everybody can visualize that yellow package, and Ruth Wakefield is probably one of our most famous alumni,” she said.

A letter was sent to Nestlé headquarters in Switzerland. In response Nestlé recommended Peña de Jesús.

His “deep connection” in his professional role to the history of Framingham State is really what excited Niemi. Further, she said his Puerto Rican heritage is representative of  “part of our community.”

Magazu said Peña de Jesús is originally from Puerto Rico and is a “dynamic speaker” with a very interesting personal story of his early life. 

Magazu said, “I’m really excited. If there are folks who are disappointed, I'm sorry to hear that, but I hope they won't let it become a distraction towards what's really about celebrating the graduates and what should be a really wonderful commencement.” 

Peña de Jesús currently oversees the Toll House brand in America, Magazu said. 

He added, “we really think it's a great way to pay tribute to Ruth and her story, and connect that to graduates at a time when they're going out into the world and sort of showing them that even small changes can make a huge impact.” 

After the announcement, a group of Framingham residents and community members contacted Niemi expressing concerns over FSU’s choice to select a representative of Nestlé. 

Two community members, Esta Montano, a former adjunct faculty member in the teaching English as a second language program and Grace Snedden, the parent of a current student, received the same letter in response from Niemi, according to Snedden. 

The letter, which was shared to Montano’s Facebook, read in part, “I do not expect that my answer will make you feel any differently about our decision to have Mr. Peña speak at commencement, but your thoughts deserve a respectful answer.

“Mr. Peña’s role as a steward of the Toll House brand connects directly to that legacy. Our invitation reflects an opportunity to highlight the enduring impact of one of our most well-known alumni and to bring that story to life for our students at a milestone moment in their lives. We also want to acknowledge and celebrate the innovation that has come from the women of this university - something that is not done as much as it should be,” the letter continued. 

Niemi’s letter stated, “At the same time, we recognize that large, global companies - including Nestlé - have complex and often dark histories and have been the subject of legitimate public scrutiny and criticism. Inviting a commencement speaker does not represent our endorsement of any corporation in its entirety, nor does it diminish the importance of thoughtful dialogue about corporate responsibility and ethical practices.”

Six individuals, including Montano and Snedden wrote a letter to the editor of the MetroWest Daily News, which has not yet been published, Snedden said. 

Senior Jordayn Padilla said, “I’m disappointed and wish we had a powerful woman as a speaker.” 

Senior K-la Vazquez said, “We should not be rewarding a company that did horrible things. As a community we should stand up and change it.”