Max DePree will deliver the final address in the 1999-2000 Presidential Lecture Series at Hope College on Wednesday, March 29, at 4 p.m. in the main theatre of the DeWitt Center, located on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street.
DePree, who is chairman emeritus of Herman Miller Inc. and the author of books on leadership, will present "Does Leadership Have a Future?"
The public is invited. Admission is free.
Herman Miller Inc. is an international company engaged in the design, manufacture and sale of office furniture systems and related products, and of products for the health care industry. It is one of the largest office furniture manufacturers in the world, with extensive facilities in the United States and several other countries. The company has been cited for its excellence in management and innovation by "Fortune" magazine in its list of most-admired companies.
DePree began his career with Herman Miller Inc. in 1947. For 40 years, until December of 1987, he worked in nearly all areas of management, including for 18 months in Europe directing the international operations. He was chief executive officer during his last eight years with the company.
He is the author of four books: "Leadership is an Art," "Leadership Jazz," "Dear Zoe" and "Leading Without Power."
DePree is a member of the "Fortune" magazine National Business Hall of Fame. In 1997 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Business Enterprise Trust. He is the recipient of six honorary degrees, including one from Hope in 1987.
He serves on the board of trustees of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., and is also a member of the advisory board of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. He was a member of Hope's board of trustees from 1983 to 1995, chairing the board from 1987 to 1995.
His education began at Wheaton College but was interrupted by military service during World War II-- including one-and-a-half years in the European Theatre of Operations. Under the Army's direction he studied at the University of Pittsburgh, Haverford College and the University of Paris. He attended Hope after completing his military service, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in 1948.
He and his wife Esther live in Holland, and have four married children and 11 grandchildren.
The 1999-2000 Presidential Lecture Series was organized as an on-going commemoration of the inaugural year of President James Bultman. The five-address series has been designed to consider the future of higher education with a focus on Hope.