John E. Pepper to Receive Honorary Doctorate from the University of Cincinnati

John E. Pepper, retired chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble and current co-chair of the Board of Directors for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at the University of Cincinnati Commencement Ceremony at

1:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 8, in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center.

Pepper is being honored for his commitment to serving the community, for mentoring young people and for fostering a culture of respect in embracing diversity. Pepper is one of the community leaders who founded the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, a partnership dedicated to reducing the dropout rate in Cincinnati Public Schools and to recruiting mentors to help young people achieve their full potential.

After retiring from P&G, Pepper served as vice president of finance and administration at his alma mater, Yale University, from 2004 to 2005, and returned to Cincinnati to become CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in 2006. He also led the fund-raising campaign to build the Freedom Center. He served as CEO of the Freedom Center until last May and is now co-chair of the Freedom Center’s Board of Directors.

In addition to his position at the Freedom Center, Pepper is chairman of the board of directors for the Walt Disney Company and a director of Boston Scientific Corp., which manufactures non-surgical medical devices. Pepper is also a former director of the Xerox Corporation and of Motorola, Inc.

Pepper is a graduate of Yale University (where he also received an honorary doctorate) and served three years in the U.S. Navy before beginning his career at P&G in 1963. In 2004, he was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame. He was named a “Great Living Cincinnatian” by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce in 2006.

Pepper lives in Wyoming, Ohio, with his wife, Francie. The couple has four children:  John, David, Douglas and Susan.

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