August 21, 2006

Andrea Mitchell, alumni headline Krannert leadership dinner

Richard A. Cosier, Krannert School dean and Leeds Professor of Management, and Purdue President Martin C. Jischke also will speak at the event, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Purdue Memorial Union.

After dinner, the following Krannert alumni awards will be presented:

• Doug DeVos of Ada, Mich., a 1986 Krannert graduate, will receive this year's Krannert Business Leadership Award. DeVos is president of Alticor Inc., a $4.5 billion company with subsidiaries that include Amway Corp., Quixtar Inc. and Access Business Group LLC. DeVos played quarterback on the Purdue football team.

• Roger Stewart of Flagstaff, Ariz., who received bachelor's and master's degrees from the Krannert School in 1971 and 1974, respectively, will receive the Krannert Distinguished Service Award. Stewart is past vice president and assistant treasurer for global treasury at Procter & Gamble Co. He periodically speaks and teaches classes at the Krannert School.

• Jane Brock-Wilson of Boston, who received a bachelor's degree in industrial management from Purdue 1978, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award. She is a managing director of Boston-based Berkshire Partners, a private equity firm focusing on the acquisition and management of growth companies, and has been with the company since 1991. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1983, with an emphasis in operations and competitive strategy.

• John Summers, who received a bachelor's degree in engineering science, a master's degree in science and a doctorate in industrial administration, all at Purdue, will receive the John S. Day Distinguished Alumni Academic Service Award. In 1969 Summers joined the marketing department in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and remained in Bloomington until his retirement in 2002. He now lives in Longboat Key, Fla.

• Bruce Olson of St. Louis, who received a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering in 1971 and a master's degree in industrial administration in 1972, both from Purdue, will receive the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship Award. He is president and co-owner of BBI Group, a private investment company that acquires and manages businesses.

Tickets for the Leadership Speakers Series are $100, of which $75 can be considered a charitable contribution in support of student scholarships. Tables of 10 also are available for $1,000.

Tickets may be reserved online. Specially priced tickets are available to Purdue students, faculty and staff.

Tickets also are available by contacting Tim Newton, Krannert School director of external relations and communications, at (765) 496-7271 or (800) 893-4108, tnewton@purdue.edu. The deadline to purchase tickets is Aug. 31.

Mitchell has been NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent since 1994. She also covered the 2004 presidential campaign and was the first reporter to report the story that Sen. John Kerry had chosen Sen. John Edwards as his vice presidential running mate.

In her career, Mitchell has been NBC News' chief White House correspondent and covered Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. She was the lead NBC News correspondent covering Hillary Clinton's 2000 New York senatorial race.

In 2005, Mitchell's memoir "Talking Back" was published. The book recounts her experiences as a woman in television journalism. She is married to former Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan.

The lead sponsor of this year's Krannert Leadership Speakers Series is Boston Scientific. Other sponsors are Saint-Gobain Containers, LaSalle Bank, WellPoint Inc., Ford Motor Co., Lafayette Printing, Grow Indiana Media Ventures and the Purdue Alumni Association.

The first Krannert Leadership Speakers Series event in 2001 featured basketball legend Bill Russell speaking on motivation, analytical thinking and leadership. In 2002 the late Caspar Weinberger, former Secretary of Defense and chairman of Forbes magazine, spoke on geopolitics, war and peace. The 2003 event featured political commentator Tim Russert. In 2004, the sold-out event was at the Purdue Memorial Union, and the speakers were the Washington Post's Bob Woodward and Ben Bradlee.

Steve Forbes, editor in chief of Forbes magazine and former presidential candidate, was the keynote speaker last year.

Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

Source: Tim Newton, (765) 496-7271, tnewton@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Related Web sites:
Leadership Speakers Series registration

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