Peter F. Secchia

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, a company that manufactures engineered wood components and operates 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. [http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-34/1172159528106520.xml&coll=6]

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 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 [http://www.wikinfo.org/wiki.phtml?title=Peter_F._Secchia Peter F. Secchia] , from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License."

Further Reading

[http://www.secchia.com/index.htm The Secchias Home Page]