MACON, Ga. — Mercer University alumna, television personality, author and former prosecutor Nancy Grace will deliver the University’s 2026 Founders’ Day address Feb. 4, at 10:20 a.m., in Willingham Hall’s Toney Auditorium on the Macon campus.
Each year on Founders’ Day, a prominent Mercerian returns to campus to share how the University has influenced his or her life. The Heritage Life Committee of the Student Government Association coordinates the annual convocation, which first took place at Mercer in 1891.
“The Heritage Life Committee is honored to invite and host Nancy Grace as this year’s Founder’s Day speaker,” said chair of SGA’s Heritage Life Committee Jocelyn Ramirez. “We chose her because of her tremendous work in the legal field and how it has left a lasting legacy, and we’re excited to hear how her time at Mercer influenced her extensive career.”
Double Bear Nancy Grace is an outspoken, tireless advocate for victims’ rights and one of television’s most respected legal analysts. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Mercer’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1981 and Juris Doctor from the School of Law in 1984.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for students to see the careers that are possible after Mercer,” said SGA President Alisha Mitchell. “Nancy Grace’s energy, both in advocating for victims and telling powerful stories, will be inspiring for students, faculty and staff. As a graduating senior, it’s comforting to hear speakers on Founders’ Day share stories that reflect the same experiences we’ve had on this campus.”
She hosts the true crime podcast Crime Stories with Nancy Grace and headlines the hit syndicated television series Bloodline Detectives. She is also a legal expert for ABC and the founder and publisher of CrimeOnline.com, a crime-fighting digital platform that investigates breaking crime news, spreads awareness of missing people, and shines a light on cold cases. Previously, she was the powerful force behind CNN Headline News’ top-rated Nancy Grace, Oxygen’s hit show Injustice with Nancy Grace, and A&E’s limited series Grace vs. Abrams.
Grace sought a career in criminal justice after her fiancé was shot and killed in 1979. She initially came to television from the Atlanta Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, where she served more than a decade as a special prosecutor of felony cases involving murder, rape, child molestation and arson. Known for her authentic sensibility and for not holding back her opinion on high-profile cases, she was tapped to co-host Court TV’s Cochran and Grace and, later, the live daily trial coverage program, Closing Arguments. She also presided over the daytime hit Swift Justice with Nancy Grace, for which she received an Emmy Award nomination.
Grace, who is also an author and executive producer, has been named one of the most impactful and powerful women in entertainment by both leading industry trade magazines Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. She is the recipient of several American Women in Radio & Television “Gracie Awards”
and has been awarded the “Individual Achievement/Best Program Host” honor. She has also been widely recognized by many notable organizations for her advocacy work on behalf of victims’ rights.
In 2008, Grace was the featured speaker for Mercer’s Macon commencement, and in 2012, she received the University’s Distinguished Alumna Award. She is currently serving her fourth five-year term on the Board of Trustees.
Feature image: Nancy Grace was the featured speaker for Mercer’s Macon commencement in 2008.
