Vulcan Sports CEO Tod Leiweke to keynote WWU Seattle Business Forum May 7

Tod Leiweke, CEO of Vulcan Sports and Entertainment – Paul Allen’s management organization for the Seattle Seahawks, Portland Trailblazers, and Seattle Sounders FC – will be the keynote speaker during Western Washington University’s 13th Annual Seattle Business Forum luncheon on Friday, May 7 at the Sheraton Hotel Grand Ballroom in downtown Seattle.

Doors will open for the luncheon event at 11:30 a.m. Lunch is served at noon, with Leiweke’s’s keynote address at 12:45 p.m.

Leiweke joined the Seahawks in 2003; the 2010 season marks his 28th in professional sports. In 2005, under his leadership, Qwest Field was named the finest venue in the NFL by The Sporting News, and the Seahawks won the NFC Championship and advanced to their first Super Bowl. In 2006 the Seahawks sold out season tickets for the first time since the early 1990s.

Before joining the Seahawks, he served as president of the Minnesota Wild and COO of Minnesota Sports & Entertainment. He has also held executive positions with the PGA Tour, the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

Leiweke serves on the boards of Washington CEO Roundtable, YMCA of Greater Seattle, The Space Needle and the annual Boeing Classic golf tournament. A native of St. Louis, Mo., he is married and has two children.

Program sponsorship is available for $10,000, which includes a table at the event and $9,000 for named WWU scholarships. A named scholarship and a table at the event are available for $3,000 each. Table sponsorships are available for $1,500. Each table seats 10, with the tenth seat filled by a WWU student, faculty or staff member. Individual tickets for the luncheon are $150 per person.

The WWU Foundation hosts the Seattle Business Forum each year, featuring a noted business leader as keynote speaker. This event brings together corporate and civic leaders, alumni, and parents and friends who are interested in the University and business trends, with all proceeds going towards WWU student scholarships. For more information, to reserve a table of 10 or make an individual reservation, please register online at the Seattle Business Forum Web site at http://www.foundation.wwu.edu/sbf/ or call (360) 650-3629.

Sponsors of the 20010 Seattle Business Forum include title sponsor Moss Adams, LLP; presenting sponsors Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker and Costco; event sponsor Wells Fargo Bank; and program sponsor Dimension Systems.