Margaret Corbett Daley to be Commencement speaker at Saint Xavier University Commencement

(April 29, 2008) – Margaret Corbett Daley will be the Commencement speaker at Saint Xavier University’s undergraduate Commencement ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 17 in the SXU Shannon Center. She will receive a Doctor of Public Service, honoris causa.

James J. McDonough will be the Commencement speaker at the 3 p.m. graduate Commencement ceremony in the SXU Shannon Center. He will receive a Doctor of Public Service, honoris causa.

Margaret Corbett Daley “Maggie” is the first lady of Chicago and chair of the Board of Directors of After School Matters, an umbrella organization for out-of-school programs. By partnering with the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Public Library, the Chicago Department of Children and Youth Services, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and over 100 Community-Based Organizations, After School Matters provides teens with the opportunity to engage in constructive activities during the crucial after-school hours. Dedicated instructors with professional experience in their field of expertise help Chicago’s youth meet the challenges that await them by developing marketable job skills and building confidence by showcasing their talents.

Today, After School Matters is recognized as one of the strongest after-school initiatives nationwide and is acknowledged as the largest program of its kind, offering teenagers over 28,000 opportunities in 58 high schools, ASM’s Center for the Arts, located downtown and community-based organizations throughout the city.

Daley is also the chair of the Chicago Cultural Center Foundation. The Foundation develops and coordinates citizen, corporate and other foundation support for the Chicago Cultural Center, where Chicagoans and visitors can experience for free the City’s rich multi-cultural life.
She continues to provide leadership to numerous civic and nonprofit organizations. Her extraordinary service includes: a member of the Board of Directors for The Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Caner Center at Northwestern University; the Children at the Crossroads Foundation; the Golden Apple Foundation, and the Pathways Awareness Foundation. For 13 years, Maggie served as president of the Pathways Awareness Foundation.

From 1992 to 2000, President William J. Clinton appointed Mrs. Daley to the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities. Maggie served as a trustee for the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Saint Ignatius College Prep, and Mount Carmel High School. Since 1989, she has served as a trustee for the Francis Xavier Warde Schools. Mrs. Daley is a recipient of four honorary degrees. She and her husband, Mayor Richard M. Daley, received the Shield of Saint Xavier in 1990.

James J. McDonough is Chairman of the Board and CEO of McDonough Associates, Incorporated, an engineering/architectural consulting firm engaged in civil, structural, environmental and transportation engineering and architectural design.

McDonough continues to provide leadership to numerous civic and nonprofit organizations. His extraordinary service includes: appointment to the Chicago Transit Authority’s Board, and subsequently Chairman; Chairman of the American Public Transit Association and an Associate Member of its Board of Governors; President of the American Public Works Association; and Chairman of Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Association of Commerce and Industry. He continues to serve on numerous boards, including Chairman of the Board for the Mercy Foundation; the Mercy Health System; the Mercy Hospital and Medical Center; the J. L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University; the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau; and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

McDonough graduated from St. Ignatius High School in 1951 and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a specialty major of transportation in 1955 from John Carroll University. From 1956 to 1958, he served with the 8th Army in Seoul, Korea, as the Area Transportation Officer. From 1958 to 1974, Mr. McDonough had an outstanding career in public works management and public transit administration with the City of Chicago, Department of Streets and Sanitation.

He was appointed the Commissioner of Streets and Sanitation in 1969. While Chairman of the Chicago Transit Authority, McDonough joined Murphy Engineering Incorporated as President in December 1974. In 1980, he became the majority owner of the firm, subsequently changing its names to McDonough Associates to reflect this change of ownership. From 1974 to 2007, he was the President of McDonough Associates, Inc.

McDonough served on the Board of Trustees for Saint Xavier University from 1985 to 1997, serving as Chairman from 1989 to 1997. The Board of Trustees elected him a Life Trustee in 1998. He and Jacque, his wife, received the Shield of Saint Xavier in 1998.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Joe Moore (773) 298-3937 or jmoore@sxu.edu -SXU-