Metropolitan Council chair Peter Bell to address First Friday luncheon Nov. 3
Metropolitan Council chair Peter Bell will be the next speaker in the University of St. Thomas Alumni Association’s 2006-07 First Friday Luncheon Series.
The luncheon begins at noon Friday, Nov. 3, in the Schulze Grand Atrium of St. Thomas' School of Law.
Bell was named chair in 2002 of the Metropolitan Council, a regional agency serving the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area; the council runs bus and light-rail systems, collects and treats waste water, plans regional parks and administers funds that provide housing opportunities. From 2001 to 2002, Bell was executive vice president for publishing and educational services at Hazelden, the internationally renowned provider of alcohol and drug-abuse recovery services in Center City, Minn. Bell was executive vice president for new ventures development at Hazelden from 1999 to 2001.
Bell was executive vice president for corporate community relations for TCF Bank, Minneapolis, from 1994 to 1999. Under his leadership, the bank earned an “outstanding” rating for its community reinvestment activities from federal regulators.
From 1990 to 1994, Bell was a human services consultant in the field of alcohol and drug abuse. He was the keynote speaker at the White House Conference on a Drug-Free America in 1990. He was co-founding and executive director of the Institute on Black Chemical Abuse from 1975 to 1990, and he has written numerous books on chemical dependency.
Bell is a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and has served on the boards of directors of many local and national social and civic organizations. He has a B.A. degree in social service administration from Metropolitan State University. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and their two children.
On first Fridays of each month during the academic year, the St. Thomas Alumni Association's First Friday Luncheon Series offers lunch and a speaker of current interest. St. Thomas alumni and friends, along with the general public, are invited. Cost of each luncheon and presentation is $25. A limited number of $10 student tickets are available at the St. Thomas Box Office.
Reservations for the Nov. 3 luncheon are due Friday, Oct. 27. Early reservations are recommended as these events fill quickly. For reservations and more information, call the St. Thomas Alumni Association, (651) 962-6430, or register online at the association’s Web site, https://www.stthomas.edu/alumni.
