CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – William M. Daley, the new White House chief of staff, will be the speaker at the 140th U. of I. Commencement on May 15.
He will speak at the 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies at Assembly Hall, 1800 S. First St., Champaign.
Daley has been the chief of staff since January, when he was appointed by President Barack Obama. Previously, Daley served as vice chair, chairman of the Midwest region, and head of the Office of Corporate Responsibility for JPMorgan Chase & Co. Daley served as president of SBC Communications from 2001 to 2004.
He was the campaign chairman for Al Gore’s presidential run in 2000. Prior to that, Daley served as Secretary of Commerce (1997-2000), overseeing a department of more than 40,000 people. Daley also served as Special Counsel to President Clinton in 1993, focusing on international trade issues.
Earlier in his career, Daley was a partner at the law firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt; was president and chief operating officer of Amalgamated Bank of Chicago; and was a lawyer in the firm of Daley and George. He has served on the boards of a number of corporate, academic, medical, charitable and civic organizations.
Daley was born in Chicago, where he also completed his education, earning a bachelor of arts degree from Loyola University and a law degree from John Marshall Law School. He is married to Bernadette Keller.
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