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Expert gives business perspective on educational reformOct. 30, 2007 KALAMAZOO--An entrepreneur in the investment field, who helped found successful charter schools in Chicago, will offer a business perspective on educational reform on Wednesday, Nov. 7, in a presentation at Western Michigan University. Craig W. Henderson, founder and president of C.W. Henderson & Associates Inc., will speak at 7:30 p.m. in Schneider Hall's Brown Auditorium as part of the Haworth College of Business Distinguished Speaker Series. Henderson's talk, titled "From WMU and Wall Street to Educational Reform," is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. A question-and-answer session will conclude the presentation. As president of his own company, Henderson oversees a professional investment firm specializing in managing portfolios of tax-exempt municipal securities for both individuals and institutions. A native of Grosse Pointe, Mich., he graduated from WMU with a degree in accounting and mathematics. Although he earned his CPA, Henderson chose to join the investment banking firm of First Boston Corp. He spent 14 years in New York City and Chicago selling municipal securities to major institutional investors. He managed First Boston's municipal securities division in Chicago from 1982-89. In 1990, Henderson established his own registered investment advisory organization, C. W. Henderson & Associates, which has grown to more than $2 billion in assets. He has also served as president of the Municipal Bond Club of Chicago and as an arbitrator for the National Association of Stock Dealers. Even before establishing his firm, Henderson became involved in entrepreneurial educational reform. In 1977, his dream came to fruition when he co-founded the Chicago Charter School Foundation. CCSF currently operates 11 schools in Chicago, with enrollments of 6,800 students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12 and with 75 percent of them coming from families living below the poverty level. Ninety percent of the high school students graduate in four years, while 100 percent graduate in five years. Eighty-five percent of the graduates go on to college. To attend the presentation, call the Haworth College of Business' main office at (269) 387-5050. Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu WMU News |
