January 8, 2016

Dow Corning executive to keynote regional Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at SVSU

‌The senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Dow Corning, N. Cornell Boggs III, will serve as the keynote speaker for the seventh annual Great Lakes Bay Regional Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts at Saginaw Valley State University.

Boggs, who joined Dow Corning in 2012, leads the company's global legal, corporate security, and government relations functions. He had extensive experience prior to joining Dow Corning, having served as chief responsibility and ethics officer for MillerCoors, as well as serving in leadership roles in the corporate legal departments of several other companies, including Tyco International, Monsanto, Anheuser-Busch, and Intel.

Boggs began his career as a judicial clerk for the Court of Appeals of Indiana, followed by an appointment as a trial attorney at the United States Department of Justice. He completed a bachelor's degree and a law degree at Valparaiso University, where he currently serves on the board of directors.

Boggs has been actively engaged in advancing diversity in both the businesses he has worked as well as within the legal profession throughout his career. He is a strong proponent and active participant in a variety of mentoring organizations, including the Chart Your Own Course Foundation, through which he mentors young minority attorneys. He also served for seven years on the board of directors for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. At Dow Corning, Boggs supports the company's efforts to foster diversity through employee resource networks, diversity training, and educational outreach.

In addition to Boggs' keynote address, the program will include the presentation of regional scholarship awards by the Bay Area, Midland Area and Saginaw community foundations to high school seniors who have embodied Martin Luther King's ideals.

Officials also will announce the winners of the Drum Major Award at the event, which recognizes people whose community involvement in the Great Lakes Bay Region serves to advance King's vision.

The event is open to the public; admission is free of charge. For more information, contact SVSU's Office of Diversity Programs at (989) 964-4068, or go to svsu.edu/mlk.