Dedicated Philanthropist, Visionary Businessman

Our graduate school of business is named for Lorry I. Lokey, the founder and former chairman of Business Wire (a leading worldwide commercial news distributor). Lokey is a visionary businessman and among the country’s most dedicated philanthropists supporting educational advancement. He has used his wealth to fund initiatives based on the conviction that education improves the lives of individuals and transforms society.

Lokey established Business Wire in 1961 in San Francisco, California, and guided the company’s expansion throughout the United States and overseas. The company’s enormous success reflects his humanist philosophy that investing in people is the best way to build a dynamic business, and that the contributions of women are integral to that success.

A member of the Mills College Board of Trustees, Lokey has donated more than $30 million to the College in recent years, including $20 million to support the Lokey Graduate School of Business. He received an honorary doctor of humane letters from Mills in 2004. Ann Lokey, his daughter, graduated from Mills in 1985.