The Honorable Casey Cagle, Lt. Gov. of Georgia, will address Augusta University’s class of 2018 during the institution’s commencement ceremony on Friday, May 11 at 2 p.m. at the James Brown Arena.

A successful entrepreneur and respected former state senator, Cagle made history in 2006 by becoming the first Republican elected to Georgia’s second highest office. Georgia voters overwhelmingly re-elected Cagle to that office in 2010 and 2014 in recognition of his outstanding efforts on behalf of the state.

A seventh-generation Georgian, Cagle opened his first business, a tuxedo rental company, in 1986 in Gainesville, Georgia. In 1994, he became the youngest state senator in Georgia’s history at the age of 28. Re-elected five times to that office, Cagle quickly established himself as a capable and effective lawmaker, serving, at various points, as Chairman of the Finance Committee, vice Chairman of Science and Technology and member of the Appropriations and Natural Resources Committees.

Cagle is a fierce proponent for education in the state. He published his first book on education in October 2016. Titled “Education Unleashed,” the book details Cagle’s vision for a public education system that will develop the strongest workforce in the world. Championing the Charter Systems Act, Cagle improved education across the state while also providing a path to career technical education for Georgia’s high school students. He also launched the Georgia College and Career Academy Network, a partnership between local communities, school systems, Georgia’s technical colleges and regional businesses and industries, to help prepare students to enter the highly skilled and highly competitive 21^st-century workforce.