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��͹��Ƶ welcomes alumna Julie A. Peterson (’88) as the speaker for the Business Connections Breakfast to be held during Defender Days at 6:45 a.m. on Friday, October 27 in the De Jager Student Activity Center. Local business leaders and the community are invited to this free breakfast with an .

Peterson graduated from ��͹��Ƶin 1988 with a degree in business administration. Peterson is a founding partner at Marq Consulting Group and is the founder and director of Marq Wine Group, which specializes in working with wine regions and individual wineries to help them expand their reach in the U.S. market. She has more than 25 years of economic development and international marketing experience.

Prior to launching Marq Consulting Group, Peterson served with public, private, and nongovernmental organizations, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), World Bank, the Institute for Global Engagement, Orion International, which is based in Kenya and South Africa, and GoodWeave, which works to eliminate forced child labor in the handmade rug industry. As a seasoned consultant, Peterson has helped clients in diverse industries achieve substantial market gains. Peterson has served as a trustee for the Center for Public Justice and as a leadership institute fellow with the National Center for Leadership in Washington, D.C. In addition to holding memberships in the Washington International Trade Association and the Wine Market Council, she served as an officer for Women in International Trade (WIIT), which honored her as “Member of the Year” in 2013. She currently serves on the board of the Hodos Institute, working to support ethical leadership in Eurasia. Peterson has been admitted to Les Dames d’Escoffier International, an invitation-only organization for women who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in the food and wine industry.

About ��͹��Ƶ

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, ��͹��Ƶ equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, ��͹��Ƶis a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.