James E. Smith Midwest Conference on World Affairs coordinator, 308.865.8944
Peter G. Peterson, a Kearney native who is senior chairman and cofounder of The Blackstone Group, will deliver the keynote address for the 2006 World Affairs Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, according to Anne Marie Harr, WAC coordinator.
Peterson will speak at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 12, in the Ponderosa Room. The presentation is free and open to the public.
The Blackstone Group is a New York-based investment and advisory firm. Peterson and Stephen A. Schwarzman opened the firm in 1985 with a small office–a staff of four which included the two founders, and a $400,000 balance sheet. Today the Blackstone Group is considered to be one of the most active and successful investors in the global real estate market, and according to the organization’s Web site, the group “seeks real estate investments with a minimum of $20 million in equity capital.”
Before establishing The Blackstone Group, Peterson served as an assistant to President Nixon for International Economic Affairs. In 1972, Peterson was named secretary of commerce by President Nixon. He has also served as the chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York and as the chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations.
He has served as a member of the board for 3M, Black and Decker, General Foods and other nationally-recognized companies.
Peterson, a 1942 Kearney High graduate, graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University in 1947, and earned his MBA from the University of Chicago.
After giving the keynote, Peterson will be presented with an honorary doctorate degree from UNK.
