As Mount St. Joseph University prepares to send off the Class of 2026, we are honored to welcome two distinguished Commencement speakers.
Dr. David Childs - Alumni Commencement Speaker
Dr. David Childs is a professor, filmmaker, author, CEO and minister. The first African American in the College of Education to earn tenure at Northern Kentucky University (NKU,) Dr. David Childs serves as NKU’s Director of Black Studies and Associate Professor of Social Studies Education and History. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Mount St. Joseph University, two Master’s degrees and his Ph.D. from Miami University, and received his Doctorate of Divinity (Honorary) in theological studies from Temple Bible College and Seminary in Cincinnati.
Dr. David Childs is the site lead for National Geographic’s 2892 Miles to go project, founder and CEO of Cultural Diversity Consultants and Studios, and the Vice President of the Sweet Blackberry Foundation, an organization founded by Fresh Prince of Bel Air actor Karyn Parsons. He is senior pastor of First Antioch Baptist Church, which operates the 501c3 First Antioch Ministries, focusing on tackling food insecurity, addiction, homelessness and arts education.
An international scholar who has done work across the world, from D.C.to San Francisco to Liberia, Dr. David Childs was named a Research Fellow in the United Kingdom at the Queens Foundation for Theological Education. He has over 200 published articles in academic journals, books, blogs and encyclopedias. Perhaps one of his most notable works is a historical fiction novel entitled Escaping from Home: A Novel about Slavery and Freedom, which he published in 2021. He has written extensively for NPR/ WVXU’s Democracy and Me project, and was the executive producer of a documentary entitled “Underground: Freedom Stories Along the Borderlands” that aired on PBS in fall of 2025. The work is a collaboration with George Clooney and his father Nick Clooney.
His most recent animated film, a partnership with National Geographic, Black Monarch Entertainment and Cultural Diversity Studios, screened in 2026. He has also worked with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Smithsonian Institute.
An award winning scholar, Dr. David Childs has received multiple NAACP Awards, a research and scholarship award from NKU, an educational and community award from the Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky, and was part of an Emmy award nominated news story with Local 12 News.
Above everything else, Dr. David Childs enjoys spending time with his wife, Alundra Childs, a Spanish educator and classical pianist, and their children Symone, David, Hannah, Gabriella and Madison.
Sister Monica Gundler - Commencement Speaker
Sister Monica Gundler is a Hamilton County native and a graduate of Badin High School. She earned her Bachelors of Arts in Sociology, cum laude, from the then College of Mount St. Joseph in 1983. In her time at the Mount, she served as a Resident Assistant and student leader, and held the position of Student Government President during her senior year. She would go on to earn her Master of Social Work from the University of Denver.
Sister Monica felt a deeper call to service during her career in social work with Reading Youth Services, and entered the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati in 1986. In her ministry, she has facilitated support groups for children of divorce and offered grief work for families. She has served in parishes, high schools, and universities in Colorado Springs, El Paso, and Ohio, including Mount St. Joseph University, where she served as Mission Coordinator and Director of Campus Ministry for seven years. In her time serving the Mount, Sister Monica received both the Sister Maria Corona Leadership Award and the Elizabeth Seton Mission Award.
Sister Monica’s call to service brought her to communities in need around the Gulf Coast following the devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina. She was foundational in founding the House of Charity in New Orleans, a Sisters of Charity Federation community. Through prayer, service, and shared community, students, faculty, and staff participated in rebuilding efforts along affected areas of the Gulf Coast, deepening their commitment to service and justice.
Sister Monica served communities affected by the BP oil spill through Catholic Charities, and in her time in Louisiana, she also became a licensed massage therapist, offering healing support to individuals experiencing trauma and homelessness.
She was elected to the Leadership Council of the Sisters of Charity in 2019, and president of the congregation in 2023. Throughout her life and service, Sister Monica has demonstrated a profound commitment to healing, justice, building community, and creating spaces where seekers are empowered to encounter God and community through service.
Welcoming our Commencement Speakers
It is with deep gratitude that the Mount welcomes Dr. David Childs and Sister Monica Gundler to send off the great minds of the class of 2026. Check out more information about Commencement here. Go Lions!