Journalist and Bestselling Author Valerie Bauerlein to Deliver Meredith Commencement Address

Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Valerie Bauerlein will deliver the featured remarks when Meredith College holds commencement exercises on May 9, 2026. 

A national affairs reporter for The Wall Street Journal for more than 20 years, Bauerlein is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty. She also hosts the investigative podcast series Camp Swamp Road, which has earned national recognition. Earlier in her career, she served as Washington, D.C., correspondent for The News & Observer.

In her remarks to Meredith’s Class of 2026, Bauerlein will draw on her years of experience as a writer and storyteller. 

“I plan to talk about the power of a good story and to offer them encouragement as they embark on the next chapter of theirs,” Bauerlein said. “There will be plot twists and challenges; it wouldn’t be a good story otherwise. But they have all they need to navigate them.”

Bauerlein has several personal connections to Meredith. She said she is grateful for the chance to speak to Meredith’s graduating class. “I feel like Meredith has been part of our family’s life for a long time.”

“My sister is a Meredith grad, as is my best friend from childhood and many of my dear friends,” she said. “My daughter is a senior up the road at Saint Mary’s, so I know firsthand the benefits of same-sex education and the powerful bonds possible at a school like Meredith.”

Bauerlein is looking forward to being part of an important day for Meredith and the Class of 2026. 

“It will be one of the biggest days of their lives, and it’s an honor to give them some words of reassurance and hope,” Bauerlein said. I’m looking forward to looking out at their excited faces, and then to watching them walk across that stage.”