Quincy University has announced John “Pete” Brown ’76 as its 2016 Bill O’Donnell Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Pete is a 1976 alumnus of Quincy College, now Quincy University who majored in business management. He will be honored during the Alumni Dinner during Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, September 24th in the Hall of Fame Room.

Born in Chicago in 1953, Pete is a graduate of Fenwick High School and came to QU on a basketball scholarship in 1971. During his time at QU Pete played baseball, basketball and supervised the student bar, Club 21.

Pete spent 20 years as a Merrill Lynch broker at the Chicago Board Options Exchange. In 2002 he started a company, Xchange Financial Access, with one employee. Today, the company is the biggest brokerage company at the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Pete credits his parents and the Christian values he learned at QU for his success in business.

Throughout his life, Pete has been involved with many charitable and civic organizations. He served on the QU Board of Trustees for six years, serving on the executive committee and chairing the finance and investment committees. He is active in his parish, St. Mary’s in Riverside, IL, where he has been the chair of a major fundraising effort. He has been a board member of Mulliganeers, an organization that distributes money to families with financial need due to having sick children and of Bo Jackson’s Give Me A Chance Foundation, a charity that assists inner city children through education and athletic training. In addition, Pete and his family are very involved with raising money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Pete and his wife, Mary Kay ’76, have been strong financial supporters of the University for many years. The John “Pete” Brown Mock Trial Courtroom was named in his honor in 2012 after he helped to make the vision a reality. In addition, they have started or support many endowed scholarships for students at QU. Pete and Mary Kay have been married for 40 years and have four grown children and four grandchildren.

For more information please contact Rachel Peterson at 217-228-5209 or peterra@quincy.edu.