Ken Whipple, former chairman of the board and CEO of Ford of Europe, will serve as keynote speaker at the Wednesday, September 20 luncheon of the State Bar of Michigan's 65th Annual Meeting in Detroit. Wednesday's events during the Annual Meeting are devoted to corporate/business issues with practical seminars and programs on this topic.

After a distinguished 40-year career with Ford Motor Company, Whipple retired in January 1999. While at Ford, he served four years as president of Ford Credit in the early 1980's and was elected a company vice president and head of corporate strategy. He then moved to Ford of Europe where he served as chairman of the board and CEO from 1986 to 1988.

In 1988, Whipple was promoted to executive vice president of Ford and president of Ford Financial Services Group, which accounted for approximately half of Ford's net income in the 1990's. In 1997, he took on the added responsibility of chairman and CEO of Ford Credit.

Whipple is currently CEO of Glenlore Enterprises, a Michigan-based operation specializing in private investments and strategic consulting to chief executives. He is a director of Associates First Capital, CMS Energy, Galileo International, and J.P. Morgan Series Trust II. He is also lead director and chairman of the Audit Committee of Galileo and chairman of the Finance Committee at CMS Energy. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the World Economic Forum, chairman emeritus of the Financial Leaders' Group, and co-chairman of the Business Advisory Committee of the World Services Congress.

Whipple is also committed to community service. He has served as a United Way Community Services leader and board member, won the 1999 Max Fisher Community Service Award, is a member and past chair of the board of trustees of Detroit Public Television, is a director of Oakland Family services and a trustee of Detroit Country Day School.

Whipple received his B.A. in business and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was a Dean's List student.

The Bar's 65th Annual Meeting will be held Wednesday through Friday, September 20-22, at the Cobo Conference/Exhibition Center in downtown Detroit.

More information on the State Bar's 65th Annual Meeting will be mailed to State Bar members with the July issue of the Michigan Bar Journal. Also look for information coming soon to the State Bar's Web site, www.michbar.org.