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William S. Ayer, chairman and chief executive officer of Alaska Airlines and the Alaska Air Group, will be the keynote speaker at the 14th Annual Western Washington University Seattle Business Forum on Monday, April 25, at the Westin Hotel Grand Ballroom in Seattle.

Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. at the Westin Hotel Grand Ballroom, with lunch service beginning at noon; the keynote address will begin at 12:45 p.m.

At Alaska Airlines, Ayer, 56, leads the nation’s ninth-largest airline, with more than 10,000 employees, 59 destinations served and more than 110 aircraft.

A 27-year veteran of the aviation industry, Ayer began his career with Alaska in 1995 as vice president of marketing and planning. Since then, he has held the posts of senior vice president of customer service, marketing and planning; president; and chief operating officer. In 2002, he became the company’s CEO, and in 2003, he was appointed chairman.

Prior to his tenure with Alaska, Ayer spent 13 years at Horizon Air, Alaska Air’s regional commuter airline, where he held a variety of marketing and operations positions of increasing responsibility. Immediately before joining Alaska, he was Horizon’s senior vice president of operations.

Before joining Horizon, Ayer founded and was president of Air Olympia, a commuter airline serving Washington state; he also served as a regional manager for Piper Aircraft Co.

Ayer is a member of the board of directors of the Seattle branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Puget Sound Energy, the Museum of Flight and Angel Flight West. He also serves on the advisory board for the University of Washington Business School.

A graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics, Ayer earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington. He holds commercial and flight instructor pilot certificates with instrument and multi-engine ratings.

Program sponsorship is available for $10,000, which includes a table at the event and $9,000 for named ²ÝÁñÉçÇø 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 ²ÝÁñÉçÇø student, faculty or staff member. Individual tickets for the luncheon are $150 per person.

The ²ÝÁñÉçÇø 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 ²ÝÁñÉçÇø student scholarships. For more information, to reserve a table of 10 or make an individual reservation, please register online at the or call (360) 650-3629.

Sponsors of the 2011 Western Washington University Seattle Business Forum include title sponsor Moss Adams, LLP and Dimension Systems and presenting sponsor Costco Wholesale.