Biography - 8   

After Quigley, I went to Loras College where I received a bachelor of liberal arts degree and then to the University of Iowa where I received an MBA in marketing.  The Leo Burnett Advertising Company recruited me out of Iowa.  I spent the next 32 years at Leo Burnett starting as a trainee and ultimately moving to Worldwide President and CEO.  It was a fantastic career filled with interesting people, solving challenging problems, and visiting all corners of the globe.  When I retired, Burnett was the single largest advertising agency in the United States and the sixth largest network in the world, with 81 offices in 71 countries employing over 7,000 people.

Today, I am “actively retired”, splitting my time between serving on corporate Boards to keep my business skills fresh, and working/supporting inner-city kids and education.  Currently, I serve on the Board of Directors of the Pella Corporation and am active with charitable organizations including the Northwestern Memorial Foundation Board; the Archdiocese of Chicago Big Shoulders Board and Executive Committee; Loras College President’s Advisory Council; Board of Trustees to Rainbows For All God’s Children;  Amate House; Advisory Group of the Hope Institute Learning Academy; the Investment Committee of St. Viator High School; and Mercy Home for Boys & Girls.  I am also active at St. Alphonsus Parish in Prospect Heights where I serve as a Eucharistic Minister and am involved in the Men's Club.  I also headed the building and development committees for our church and school additions.

I met my late wife while attending Loras.  Ginny helped put me through graduate school and was a wonderful mother to our 5 daughters.  She was very special and was just finishing her Masters of Divinity degree at Loyola when she died suddenly in 1997.  That was an extremely difficult time to get through.  Nine years ago, I married Kathleen and was given a second “gift”.  Together we have 15 grandchildren and are thankful everyday for how God works in our lives.

 

Biographies