Dr. Brian Maher will serve as the keynote speaker for Midland University’s 2024 undergraduate commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. May 11 at the Wikert Event Center.
“It is a great honor to have Dr. Maher return to Midland University as our commencement speaker,” Midland University President Jody Horner said. “He has done amazing work on so many levels in the education field, and we are excited to have him share his experience with our graduates.”
Maher, a 1987 MU graduate and Hooper native, serves as the Nebraska Commissioner of Education, a position he has held since July 2023. A longtime educator with strong Nebraska ties, his career in education began as a teacher and coach at Elkhorn and Clarks Public Schools before becoming an administrator at Waverly, Elkhorn, and Johnson-Brock Public Schools.
Maher served as superintendent with Centennial Public Schools from 1999 to 2007 before the same role with Kearney Public Schools from 2007 to 2015. Maher would later serve as superintendent of Sioux Falls School District from 2015 to 2020 before assuming the role of CEO and Executive Director of the South Dakota Board of Regents from 2020 to 2023. In his tenure as a superintendent, Maher successfully led four bond referendums in three different districts. Maher graduated from Midland with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics Education and earned his Master’s and Doctorate in Education Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Throughout his educational journey, Maher has been able to impact students and teachers on large scales, whether through a single building, a district, or an entire state.
As Nebraska Commissioner of Education, Maher considers himself an “equal parts regulator, service provider, and lobbyist.” However, like his other roles along the way, his end goal is to serve educators and students across the state best. “As a regulator, we need to make sure rules and policies that are in place are being followed,” he said. “As a service provider, we advise districts regarding special education, finance, safety, and security. As lobbyists, we spend much time working with the governor’s office and legislature to either promote or prohibit what might be making its way through the legislature.”
Maher said he has occasionally returned to campus over the years and maintains contact with former teammates, some of whom he considers among his best friends in the world. As he addresses a new generation of graduates, he hopes to impart the value of being part of the Midland experience.
“I always joke with people that if I can be successful as a Midland graduate, anyone can,” he said. “The main thing I want to emphasize is everything Midland stands for, and has stood for, over a long time.”
