WSU “Power Breakfast” Series Kicks Off with Guest Speaker Kerry Killinger, WaMu CEO

PULLMAN, Wash. — Kerry Killinger, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Seattle-based Washington Mutual, will be the inaugural guest speaker for the new Washington State University “Power Breakfast” Series that kicks off at 7 a.m. Friday morning, Sept. 10, at the W Hotel in Seattle. Presenting the series is the university’s College of Business and Economics.

“We are very honored to welcome Mr. Killinger as our first presenter for this dynamic, new program,” said WSU President V. Lane Rawlins. “He is highly esteemed for his business acumen, and his many career successes and personal accomplishments indicate his spirit as an entrepreneur and innovator.”

“I applaud the deep commitment to academic excellence made by both WSU and its business college, and the impact they have on the state’s future business leaders,” said Killinger. “I am honored to have been invited to be the first presenter of their breakfast series.”

According to CBE Dean Len Jessup, the WSU Power Breakfast series was created to inform, inspire, and engage prominent business executives and members of the regional business community, and offer fresh outlooks on highly relevant corporate leadership topics presented by renowned guest speakers.

Jessup said that the college plans to present at least two Power Breakfast meetings each year. This first will take place during WSU Week in Seattle on the day before the Cougar football team’s pre-season game Saturday, Sept. 11, against the University of Colorado.

Killinger was named the “Banker of the Year” by American Banker magazine in 2001. He joined WaMu in 1982, and became its president in 1988 and chair in 1991. Under his leadership, WaMu has grown into a national financial services retailer and is the largest U.S. savings and loan.

An alumnus of the University of Iowa, Killinger is a member of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Companies Advisory Committee, and serves on the boards of the financial Services Roundtable, the Washington Roundtable, the Washington Financial League, the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy, Achieve, the Partnership for Learning, and the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. He is also a director of SAFECO Corp. and the Simpson Investment Co., and sits on the board of trustees of the Univ. of Washington.

For more information about the WSU Power Breakfast, call Heather Brust, CBE assistant director of development, at 509-335-6397, or e-mail supportexcellence@cbe.wsu.edu . Online reservations can be made at https://pubforms.wsu.edu/PowerBreakfast/.