April 19, 2006

Bill Graves, Kansas Wesleyan University
Football
Graduated - 1976
Major - Business

Born William Preston Graves, Bill graduated from Kansas Wesleyan in 1976 with a business degree.  During his college days, hes was a three-time letter winner in football and was one of five freshman starters on the 1971 KCAC Championship team that went 8-1 overall and 8-0 in conference play.  After college he worked in human resources.  In 1981 he received the Young Alumni Award from Kansas Wesleyan for his extraordinary achievements and services.

Graves was elected Secretary of State for Kansas in 1990.  In 1994 at the age of 41, he was elected Governor of Kansas, becoming one of the youngest Governors in Kansas history.  His term of office saw strong economic growth for Kansas after years of recession, and a continued excellence and emphasis on education. Graves won re-election in 1998 with 74% of the vote, which was the largest margin of victory by any Governor up for election in 1998, and, one of the largest margins of victory in Kansas gubernatorial history.  Graves was barred from running for a third term as Governor by Kansas state law.

Currently, Graves is President and CEO of American Trucking Associations (ATA), the national trade and safety organization of the United States trucking industry.  Through its 50 affiliated state trucking associations, conferences and other organizations, it represents motor carriers before all branches of the government.

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