Class Honors Speaker
Toni-Ann Gardner
Class of 2026
Toni-Ann Gardner is a graphic design major excited to be graduating from Mesa Community College with her associate degree. Along with being a first generation college student, she is a Presidential Honors Scholar, All-Arizona Academic Team Scholar and member of Phi Theta Kappa. Toni-Ann plans to attend Arizona State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Information Technology.
While attending MCC, Toni-Ann invested her time towards further exploring the arts. She participated in multiple student art shows, performed as a member of the ensemble in MCC’s production of Be More Chill, and served as Art Club Vice President during the Fall 2025 semester. Alongside her artistic pursuits, she was invited to present at the 2025 Western Regional Honors Conference, where she delivered her speech, “The Hidden Challenge of Gender Interactions in Survivor.” Outside the classroom, Toni-Ann responds to local calls for art and volunteers at Mesa Public Library. Her long-term goal as a graphic designer is to work with local Arizona communities to create meaningful connections through visual communication and digital art.
ASMCC Speaker
Mateo Valez
ASMCC President, Southern and Dobson Campus
Class of 2026
Mateo will be graduating from Mesa Community College with an Associate in Business, General Requirements degree and will continue his undergraduate education at the university level. His presence at MCC is solidified by his role as the President of the Associated Students of Mesa Community College (ASMCC), MCC's Student Government, and his active participation on his Model United Nations team. As President, Mateo drafted a new legislative framework, including a constitution and campus-specific bylaws for ASMCC, empowering his fellow student leaders to draft and enact meaningful college policies that address the interests and concerns of the entire student body.
His passion for public policy is evident in his distinction as a recipient of the Slanczka Achievement Certificate at the Model United Nations of the Far West Conference, where his award-winning policy writing addressed a wide variety of pressing world issues. In pursuit of a career in international law and work within the United Nations system, Mateo has also valued his time as a Senate Page in the Arizona State Senate. He was a distinguished reader of bills on the Senate floor during the 57th Legislature, 2nd Session, and earned the honor of Page of the Month in his first month in the program. While the Thunderbird chapter of his story is coming to a close, he is both privileged and moved that he was able to make an impact at MCC and leave campus better than when he found it.
Keynote Speaker
Karl Schroeder
President, Albertsons Companies' Northern California Division (retired Feb 2026)
MCC Class of 1988
Karl Schroeder rose through the ranks from courtesy clerk to President of the Albertsons Companies' Northern California Division, retiring in February after a 50-year career with the company. His responsibility spanned 286 stores and all related support functions operating in Northern California, Nevada, and Hawaii under the Safeway and Andronico's banners.
Karl earned an associate degree from Mesa Community College, a certification in Food Industry Management from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Behavior at the University of San Francisco. At USF, he received the Dean’s Medal of Excellence from the McLaren School of Management in 2012, the 2013 Executive of the Year honor from the USC Marshall School of Business, as well as the 2014 Illuminator’s Torch Award.
Karl is Past President and Chairman of the Western Association of Food Chains and has achieved Past President Emeritus status. He also has served on the Executive Committee for the California Grocers Association, the Executive Board for the Junior Achievement of Northern California, the Executive Board for the California Business Roundtable, and a Board Member on the Bay Area Council.
An avid runner and cyclist, he has participated in several endurance races. He lives in Walnut Creek, Calif., with his wife, Aurelia, where they enjoy a small vineyard that produces a Cabernet which is bottled and labeled in honor of his family members.