Mark Joseph Buono ’81, visiting instructor and interim director of the Carter Real Estate Center at the College of Charleston, will be the commencement speaker and recipient of an honorary degree at the College’s winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 17, 2022.

mark buono

Mark J. Buono

Before his retirement, Buono was managing director and commercial real estate portfolio manager at the Global Atlantic Financial Group. Prior to Global Atlantic, he served as managing director at Goldman Sachs, where he held various roles in the commercial real estate business for 20 years. Before Goldman, Buono was in research and trading at Freddie Mac and an academic at Rutgers University and Temple University. Buono earned his doctorate in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1986 and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the College of Charleston. He lives in Charleston with his wife, Judith.

Commencement begins at 2 p.m. and will be held in the College of Charleston’s TD Arena at 301 Meeting St., where more than 100 students are expected to receive their degrees. Each graduate will receive 10 tickets for guests through their CofC email approximately one week prior to the ceremony.  The College has a clear bag policy for its ticketed events, including commencement. Only clear bags and small, clutch-size purses are allowed in TD Arena.

For guests who are unable to attend the ceremony, live video of the event will be broadcast on the College’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

To get the latest information about winter commencement, please use the College’s new mobile app by searching “CofC Winter Commencement” in the app store. With this resource, you get access to the most up-to-date information as well as networking tools, notifications and more.

Get all the details on winter commencement on your mobile device

Winter Commencement has gone mobile! Schedules, maps, reminders and more are now at your fingertips on your iPhone/Android for free. Scan the QR code to download the app or find it on Apple and Google Play.