Nov. 3, 2011 | WMU News
Archer, chairman and CEO of Dennis W. Archer PLLC in Detroit and chair of the WMU Board of Trustees, will speak on "Education and Leadership + Respect for Ethics and Diversity = A Successful Global Competitor" at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in Schneider Hall. A question-and-answer period and reception will follow. Those planning to attend should register by Friday, Nov. 11.
Archer is a 1965 alumnus of WMU and chairman emeritus of Dickinson Wright PLLC, a Detroit-based law firm with more than 270 attorneys, and sits on the corporate boards of Johnson Controls Inc., Compuware Corp. and Masco Corp. He served as a Michigan Supreme Court justice from 1985 to 1990 and in his final year on that bench, was named the most respected judge in Michigan by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
In addition, Archer served as mayor of Detroit from 1994 to 2001, earning national and international respect for his success in changing the city's image and direction, and was a resident fellow at the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2010.
His background also includes terms as president of the American Bar Association, president of the State Bar of Michigan, president of the National League of Cities, and chair of the Board of Directors of the Detroit Regional Chamber. During his early career, Archer worked as a trial lawyer and a partner in several Detroit law firms and was an associate professor of the Detroit College of Law and adjunct professor at Wayne State University Law School.
To register for Dennis Archer's talk or obtain more information, contact WMU's Shawna Cassada at shawna.cassada@wmich.edu or (269) 387-6059.
