Commerce Secretary to speak at winter commencement
Released: October 21, 2005
Wisconsin Commerce Secretary Mary Burke will speak at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Winter Commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 at the DLK/Kachel Field House.
Nearly 700 students will receive degrees at the Winter Commencement. UW-Whitewater offers 45 undergraduate and 16 graduate degree programs.
“Secretary Burke has a diverse and interesting business background and we believe her message will be enlightening and powerful for our graduates and their guests. The Secretary ran her own business, has been a leader in the Wisconsin-owned Trek Bicycles which has international connections and has been a powerful advocate and leader for the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County,” said Chancellor Martha Saunders. “We are excited and delighted that Secretary Burke has agreed to be our keynote speaker on this important day in the lives of our students.”
Gov. Jim Doyle appointed Mary Burke to the Commerce position in January of 2005. Commerce has more than 400 employees and an annual budget of $221 million.
From 1995-2004, she was director of forecasting and strategic planning for Trek Bicycle Corp. Waterloo, responsible for forecasting sales, scheduling production, managing inventory in addition to long-term strategic planning and acquisition analysis. Previously, she served as the company’s director of European operations, growing the business from the ground up in seven European countries. In 1988, she founded Manhattan Intelligence, New York, an information/recommendation service for visitors and residents in New York.
Secretary Burke earned a BBA from Georgetown University and an MBA at Harvard University.
- Sara Kuhl,kuhls@uww.edu
