Milwaukee School of Engineering: Business leaders join MSOE Board of Regents

Brian W. Cooke, John L. Schliesmann and David A. Selby have joined the Board of Regents at Milwaukee School of Engineering. Since it was founded in 1903, MSOE has benefitted from the advice and support of volunteer leaders. Meaningful involvement is the most accurate way to describe the manner in which MSOE’s Board of Regents and Corporation members assume their responsibilities. Comprised of representatives of business, industry, government and education, the Board of Regents governs the operations and the future planning of the university.

Brian W. Cooke is group vice president, products, for the Power Solutions division of Johnson Controls Inc. based in Milwaukee. He is responsible for partnering with the original equipment and aftermarket businesses to ensure profitable growth. Cooke leads the product development process from ideation through launch and also is charged with developing the advanced battery (lithium-ion) strategy and business. He joined Johnson Controls in 1999 holding positions of increasing responsibility within the automotive, building efficiency, power solutions, and metals and mechanisms businesses. He also held expatriate assignments in the United Kingdom and Germany. Cooke sponsored cohorts in the company’s eXtreme Learning Program (XLP) and is executive sponsor of the African American Business Resource Group. He is on the Board of Directors of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME). Cooke earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and bachelor’s degree in management science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Attorney John L. Schliesmann is a shareholder in the corporate law, tax and international practices at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren S.C. in Milwaukee. His clients include foreign- and U.S.-based manufacturing and professional services companies seeking to do business in the U.S. He helps them plan proactively and develop financially sound approaches to key issues, including business succession, executive compensation, the financial complexities of mergers and acquisitions, and associated corporate and general tax matters. He is a member of entrepreneurial associations, including ACG, an international organization that fosters sound corporate growth and the Golden Angels Network, established to provide early-stage companies access to capital and B-school resources. Schliesmann earned his BBA from the University of Notre Dame and his law degree from Marquette University Law School (magna cum laude). He has his CPA (Indiana) and is licensed to practice law in Wisconsin and Colorado.

David A. Selby, P.E. ’79, ’00 is senior vice president at Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp., based in Milwaukee. He began his career with the company in 1980, holding positions of increasing responsibility. He is responsible for new product development, product engineering and engineering management. His areas of expertise include rigorous but agile product development processes, project management, robust engineering principles, portfolio management and innovation management. A Milwaukee native, he earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology and master’s degree in engineering management from MSOE. Prior to joining the Board of Regents, Selby served as an MSOE Corporation member since 2008. He is the highest ranking alumnus at Milwaukee Tool, a company that employs more than 80 MSOE alumni.

Robert Arzbaecher, Dr. Michael J. Barber ’82, Dr. J. Michael Borden, Paul B. Luber and Dr. James B. Wigdale return to the Board of Regents from Regent Emeritus status. Regents Curt Culver, John E. Duncan ’79 and Jay V. Loewi are now Regents Emeriti.

MSOE is an independent, non-profit university with about 2,900 students that was founded in 1903. MSOE offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering, business and nursing. The university has a national academic reputation; longstanding ties to business and industry; dedicated professors with real-world experience; and the highest ROI and average starting salaries of any Wisconsin university according to PayScale Inc. MSOE graduates are well-rounded, technologically experienced and highly productive professionals and leaders.