Distinguished Alumni
Outstanding Achievement
Joel C. Peterson, Class of 1965
2017 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient from Okemos Education Foundation
Biography and Nominations
Okemos Education Foundation
Distinguished Alumni Award 2017
Honored at the OEF Awards Banquet: Introduction
CEO of the largest real estate company in America, creator of a billion dollar private-equity firm, and Chairman of the Board for JetBlue Airways. Not bad for a graduate of Okemos High School.
The qualities that made Joel Peterson an outstanding student at OHS have carried through in his later life. In addition to his many business accomplishments, he has been a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business from 1992 to the present. He teaches courses in real estate, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Helping today’s students be more connected with the business world, he invites distinguished leaders from a variety of fields into his classroom to share their insight.
As if that is not enough, Joel even found time to author a book. In “The Ten Laws of Trust,” Joel uses real life examples to demonstrate how businesses can increase profitability by adhering to high standards of integrity, respect, and empowerment.
Not just confined to the world of business, Joel’s philanthropy and concern for others has touched those both near and far. He was a generous OEF sponsor of Okemos High School’s “The Legacy of Emmett Till” panel discussion in 2016 and more recently, he lead relief efforts by JetBlue during the recent weather disasters, adding 54 extra flights into the Caribbean and Florida to evacuate 4,500 passengers ahead of Hurricane Irma.
Joel demonstrates both impressive business accomplishments and admirable personal values, making him a fine example of just how far one can go with an Okemos education. The Okemos Education Foundation is proud to award him the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award.
Okemos class of 1912
Graduate of State Normal College, now Eastern Michigan University
Superintendent of Morrice Schools 1916 and Okemos Schools 1917
Army in France 1917-1919
Superintendent of Ithaca Public Schools
Law degree at University of Michigan
U.S. Attorney 1933 as Asst. US Attorney, Grand Rapids
Private Law practice until death in 1964
Deputy City Attorney for Grand Rapids
City Commission, Grand Rapids
1997 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient from Okemos Education Foundation
2002 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient from Okemos Education Foundation
Brig Sorber
2008 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient from Okemos Education Foundation