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Spring 2007 York Lecturer Biographical Sketch:

M. Peter McPherson
President, National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC)

"Future of Africa and the Role of Land-Grant
Universities in Developing Countries"

 

M. Peter McPherson

 M. Peter McPherson is President of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC). He is the founding Co-chair of the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa and Chairs of the Boards of IFDC and Harvest Plus (all organizations dealing with developing country issues). McPherson has been a member of Board of Directors of Dow Jones and Company for many years and will become Chair of the Board in April, 2007.

He was president of Michigan State University for over 11 years. From April to October 2003, he took leave from that position and served as the Director of Economic Policy in Iraq working with the currency, the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance, the banks of the country.

Prior to being named president of Michigan State, McPherson held senior executive positions with the Bank of America from 1989 to 1993.

He served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, with special focus on trade, tax, and international issues, from 1987 to early 1989. In that role, he was one of the principal negotiators for the U.S. for the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.

Peter McPherson was the Administrator of the Agency for International Development from 1981 to 1987 and in that role was responsible for the U. S. effort for the famine in Africa in 1984/5. During that time he was also been the chairman of the board of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. From 1977 through 1980, he was a partner and head of the Washington office of a large Ohio large firm, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease. Prior to then he was a Special Assistant to President Gerald Ford in the White House.

McPherson has been honored with the U. S. Presidential Certificate of Outstanding Achievement, the Secretary of State Distinguished Leadership Award, the Department of Treasury’s Alexander Hamilton Award, the UNICEF award for “outstanding contribution to child survival” and the 1983 Humanitarian of the Year award from the American Lebanese League. He received a B.A. from Michigan State University, an M.B.A. from Western Michigan University and J.D. from American University.

 

 

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