Issued by: Laura L. Hunt, 414-229-6447; llhunt@uwm.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MILWAUKEE — The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) has announced the four co-chairs for its first significant comprehensive campaign in more than a decade. All received their undergraduate degrees from UWM and currently serve as chief executive officers for four major Milwaukee corporations.
They are Gale E. Klappa, Chairman, President and CEO of Wisconsin Energy Corporation; Dennis J. Kuester, Chairman and CEO of Marshall & Ilsley Corporation; James L. Ziemer, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson, Inc.; and Edward J. Zore, President and CEO of Northwestern Mutual.
“This is an outstanding leadership team united by a commitment to build a greater future for their alma mater and the community,” said UWM Chancellor Carlos E. Santiago. “They have come together at a unique time: when four of our region’s most significant corporations are simultaneously being led by UWM graduates. The rich history of our university and its more than 117,000 graduates are well represented by these individuals. I look forward to working with them to advance our missions of academic excellence through research and access to success.”
The goal of the comprehensive campaign is $100 million.
Santiago also announced that leading industrialist and philanthropist Sheldon B. Lubar, Founder and Chairman of Lubar & Company, Inc., of Milwaukee, has agreed to serve as honorary co-chair for the campaign.
Lubar’s distinguished career of public service has included his work as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration. He also served the state of Wisconsin on its Commission on Education, the Commerce and Industry Task Force, and as a past president of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. He was the president of the Milwaukee World Festival (Summerfest) board of directors and the president and co-founder of the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute.
“For decades, our university has benefited from sound guidance provided by Mr. Lubar,” said Santiago. “We are extremely fortunate to have his perspective and expertise supporting our comprehensive campaign.”
Klappa is a 1972 cum laude graduate of UWM with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications. He also serves on UWM’s School of Business Advisory Council and the board of directors of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Greater Milwaukee Committee and Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. He is president of the Wisconsin Energy Corporation Foundation.
Kuester graduated from the UWM School of Business in 1966 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on accounting. In 1996 he received an honorary doctorate in commercial science from UWM. He is a past president and distinguished director of the UWM Foundation, and a member and past president of UWM’s School of Business Advisory Council. In the community, he is the current chairman of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce; a director of Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, YMCA and United Way; and actively involved with other community organizations.
Ziemer earned a bachelor of business administration degree in 1975 and an executive MBA in 1986. He serves as president of the Harley-Davidson Foundation. He is a board member of Junior Achievement Wisconsin, and serves on the UWM School of Business Advisory Council, the Greater Milwaukee Committee and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
Zore holds bachelor’s (1968) and master’s (1970) degrees from UWM, both in economics, and in May 2005 received an honorary doctor of commercial science degree. He is president of the School of Business Advisory Council and a past president of the UWM Foundation. Among his many community affiliations are those with Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Inc.; Milwaukee affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.; United Performing Arts Fund; United Way; and the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee.
“The principals of our campaign are key community leaders,” said Santiago. “Their keen understanding and awareness of what Greater Milwaukee needs from its public research university will expertly guide us as we go forward.”
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is a major public research university that is playing a vital role in the future of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin. UWM is one of two public doctoral research universities in the state. Its 1,235 faculty and instructional staff engage in a wide range of research, leading to discoveries that enhance the quality of life for the people of Wisconsin. UWM offers more than 28,000 students a comprehensive liberal arts and professional education through its 152 degree programs.
