Southern Company President and CEO Chris Womack was awarded an honorary doctorate in philosophy from the Georgia Institute of Technology on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023.

Calling it "the most important honor the university can confer to an individual," Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera noted Womack's "unyielding commitment and service to the university."

"Chris is an extraordinary leader in the energy sector and his community," Cabrera added. "He has enriched the state, region and country through civic leadership supporting and amplifying important work in fields such as energy and education and has been instrumental in nurturing the relationship between the Georgia Institute of Technology and Southern Company, providing transformative philanthropic support and life-changing opportunities for Georgia Tech students."

Womack then delivered the commencement speech to the graduating class of 2023 at Georgia Tech, emphasizing themes of resilience, the power of education and the responsibility to harness one's talents for the greater good.

"Thank you for welcoming me to celebrate and share this momentous occasion with you today," Womack began. "To the faculty who keep this institution on the cutting edge of future endeavors. The staff who keep this monument to education and innovation running at a high performance level, thank you for your deep commitment to this university and these students."

Womack underlined the partnership between Georgia Tech and Southern Company that has existed for more than a century. Today, the company has nearly 550 Yellow Jackets driving innovation across all its businesses and endeavors.

Womack added, "The excellence instilled on this campus delivers creative visionaries powering our culture which drives and inspires solutions to complex problems."

The speech closed with three pieces of advice: to remember and use their inherent power wisely, to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and to aim high and strive to do good in the world. He implored the graduates to embrace diversity, engage in hard conversations, listen actively and expand their circles to foster a more integrated community.