2007 Honorary Degree
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Raised in Mosinee, Wis., Boehm received his bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 1969. He went on to earn a master of science degree in 1972 and a Ph.D. degree in 1974, both in agricultural economics at Purdue.
He became an assistant professor of agricultural economics at Virginia Tech University before joining the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1976. He served USDA as a senior economist and research manager until 1979. From 1979 until 1981, Boehm was the senior economist for food and agriculture with the President's Council of Economic Advisors.
In 1981, Dr. Boehm joined The Kroger Co., one of the largest retail food companies in the nation, as the director of economic research. He was promoted to vice president of corporate planning and research in 1986, to vice president for grocery procurement in 1989, to vice president of logistics in 1994, and to group vice president and Kroger's senior management in 2001. Bill was promoted to senior vice president and president of the manufacturing division in 2004.
He has been active in Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity since his initiation in 1968, serving as the noble ruler at the chapter at UW-River Falls and as the advisor to the chapters at Purdue and Virginia Tech. He also was elected to the Alpha Gamma Rho National Board of Directors in 1996, served as the financial vice president for two years, and was elected Grand President at the fraternity's convention in 2000.
Dr. Boehm also has been involved in several professional and civic organizations.
He was the Future Farmers of America's Wisconsin state president in 1967 and the national vice president in 1968. Boehm was on FFA's sponsors board from 1995 to 2000 and raised $7.4 million dollars as chairman in 1999.
Dr. Boehm has been involved in outreach programs of the Center for Agribusiness in the Department of Agricultural Economics. He received the Distinguished Agriculture Alumni Award in 1999.
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