Everything about Peter F Secchia totally explained
Peter F. Secchia, (born
15 April 1937) at
Englewood, New Jersey, is an
Italian-American diplomat and
businessman. Secchia served as the United States
Ambassador to
Italy from
1989 to
1993.
Career
Secchia served in the
United States Marine Corps from
1956 to
1959 and graduated from
Michigan State University in
1963 with a degree in
economics.
Secchia is a fund-raiser in the
Republican Party in Michigan. He started as chairman of the
Kent County, Michigan Republican Committee and later became the chairman of the
5th Congressional District of Michigan committee. He was elected to be Michigan's Republican National Committeeman in
1980,
1984, and
1988.
Secchia was a Vice Chairman of the
Republican National Committee and headed its Midwest Region. He was host chairman of the
1985 RNC Midwest Leadership Conference in
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Secchia was a friend of former President
Gerald R. Ford. However, on April 20, 2007, he was publicly rebuked just outside President Ford's grave-site by President George W. Bush for appearing there in casual clothes during a solemn visit by President Bush to the grave-site. Secchia was on the national advisory committee of the
1988 George Bush for President Committee. Secchia also founded the Lake Michigan Conference, and was a National Co-Chair of the
Dole for President Campaign.
From
1989 to
1993 Secchia served as the US Ambassador to Italy. He received the
Cavaliere di Gran Croce (The Knight of the Great Cross. He also was awarded the
Department of State Distinguished Honor Award during his service. This award is given to serving ambassadors and to non-career ambassadors.
Secchia has served as the CEO and Chairman of the Board of
Universal Forest Products which is a company which maintains 102 engineered wood components, manufacturing plants, and distribution centers in the United States (98),
Mexico (2), and
Canada (2). He has served as Chairman of the
River City Food Company which has 29 restaurants, catering facilities, and banquet locations in the states of
Michigan,
Pennsylvania, and
Maryland. He recently (1/16/2007) survived a car crash in Lansing, Michigan.
(External Link
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Secchia was honored in
1994 as the Master Entrepreneur of the Year for Michigan and in
1995 as the Businessman of the Year and has been involved with civic organizations promoting economics and assisting underprivileged youth. In
1994 he was appointed to chair the
Secchia Commission I by Governor
John Engler of Michigan which was focused on improving government services.
Secchia Commission II focused on public sector pensions.
Memberships
Secchia is on the Executive Committee of the
Gerald R. Ford Foundation and is the overseer of the
Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids and
Gerald R. Ford Library in
Ann Arbor, Michigan and is the past chairman of the library's Endowment Committee and Strategic Planning Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Advisors of the
Bush Presidential Library Foundation, the
Baker Institute at
Rice University, and served for twelve years on the board for
John Cabot University in
Rome.
Ambassador Secchia is a member of the
National Italian-American Foundation Council of 1000. He was founding president of the West Michigan Lodge of the
Order of Sons of Italy in America (OSIA); he inaugurated the
Festa Italiana, the region’s largest annual ethnic festival and has participated in and sponsored many Italian-American events. He was awarded the NIAF Special Achievement Award for International Affairs, The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Public Service Award, and lent his name to the The Founding Values Initiative Award... the "Secchia Award for Heartfelt Commitment."
Foiled Abduction
In February of 2004 Ambassador Sechhia and his granddaughter were visiting Seattle, Washington. While walking in a retail business area near the University of Washington, Secchia and his 3-year old granddaughter were attacked by a 38-year old man who attempted to kidnap the girl. Ambassador Secchia, a former Marine and trained in hand-to-hand guerilla tactics, responded by pursuing on foot the would-be kidnapper and forcing the assailant to the ground. After a brief struggle the Ambassador managed to pin the man down and call out to passerby to call police. The Ambassador received only minor injuries during the attack.
Adapted from the article Peter F. Secchia, from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
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