POTSDAM -- SUNY Potsdam alumnus Allen Schoer will encourage students to unlock their leadership potential when he addresses graduating seniors at the college's 177th Bachelor's Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 22.

The founder and CEO of New York City-based The TAI Group, Schoer , a 1971 graduate, will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters from The State University of New York at Potsdam in recognition of his successful career as an actor, consultant and entrepreneur, and his advocacy, support for and dedication to the power of liberal arts education.

Schoer will also deliver the keynote address to 652 bachelor's graduates, along with hundreds of their family members and friends.

SUNY Potsdam President Dr. John F. Schwaller said that Schoer, “in dedicating himself to exploring the power of creativity in the business world...has shown the transformational power that a liberal arts education can bring to industry and the broader economy.”

Schoer, along with others, founded what was then known as The Actors' Institute in 1977 to help mid-career actors rediscover their creative drive and energy. So successful was that venture that its work quickly found an audience in the wider world of business and education, and has now evolved into a successful consulting firm working with multinational clients such as Google, Bertelsmann, Sony and Credit Suisse. Schoer and The TAI Group also work with some of the world's leading business schools, including IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Skolkovo in Moscow, Russia.

Schoer was the first full drama major to graduate from the Potsdam program. Among the highlights of his time at SUNY Potsdam, he starred in many College Theater productions as well as directing a children's theater production of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," which won a statewide competition and an Empire State award. He was also chosen to audition for the prestigious Canadian Stratford Shakespeare Festival. After graduating from SUNY Potsdam, Schoer continued his professional acting training by earning a Master's in Fine Arts from Ohio University. He worked in New York and in regional theater, on stage and in television. An accomplished classical pianist, Schoer has also played many concerts in various venues.

Schoer is often featured in print and online, including publications such as The Huffington Post, Forbes, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. He has appeared on Good Morning America and Good Day New York and is a frequently cited source for journalists writing about leadership, culture change and team alignment.

"Potsdam was my first training ground, my experiential laboratory. I learned about the power of relationships and community, and experimented with what it takes to build those essential synergies. TAI is an outgrowth of those early understandings and foundational practices," Schoer said.

To learn more about The TAI Group, visit www.thetaigroup.com.