A past CEO of the world’s largest tire and wheel retailer, along with a former U.S. Attorney have been selected to receive the highest honor Western Michigan University can confer on its alumni, the Distinguished Alumni Award.
The 2015 recipients are James S. Brady of Grand Rapids, Mich., Office Managing Member of Dykema Grand Rapids; and Thomas P. Englert of Paradise Valley, Ariz., past CEO of Discount Tire Company, Inc.
Established in 1963, the Distinguished Alumni Awards program honors and celebrates alumni who bring distinction to their alma mater through professional accomplishments and who have achieved a high level of success in their careers. Alumni are nominated by their peers and selected by the WMU Alumni Association Board of Directors.
This year, the two recipients of WMU's 52nd Distinguished Alumni Awards will be recognized during a homecoming weekend reception at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, on campus. Full event and registration details are available at MyWMU.com/DAreception.
For more information about the awards, nomination process or past recipients, visit mywmu.com/da.
James S. Brady
Mr. Brady graduated from WMU in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and immediately continued his education at Notre Dame, where he received his Juris Doctor in 1969. Early in his legal career, U.S. President Jimmy Carter appointed Mr. Brady U.S. Attorney for the Western Judicial District of Michigan. From 1977-81 he was responsible for prosecuting white-collar criminal matters.
In 1981, Mr. Brady joined the Miller Johnson law firm and later became Chair of Criminal Law Group. In 1987, Mr. Brady was appointed to the WMU Board of Trustees by then Michigan Governor, Jim Blanchard, and served with distinction through one of WMU’s greatest periods of growth. He is a member of the WMU Foundation Board of Directors and has served as board chair, as well as chair for its Committee on Directors.
In the 2009, Mr. Brady was recognized by “Michigan Lawyers Weekly” as a “Leader in the Law.” Additionally, he has been recognized in “Michigan Super Lawyers” for Criminal Defense and Civil Litigation Defense from 2006 through 2014, is listed in ‘Who’s Who in America,’ and is recognized in “The Best Lawyers in America” 2003-15 for multiple practice areas.
In 2010, Mr. Brady was chosen to lead the expansion of Dykema’s regional presence and bolster its white collar defense practice.
Mr. Brady and his wife, Cathy, reside in Grand Rapids, Mich. and are members of WMU’s Lifetime Giving Society, Consecutive Giving Society, and President’s Society. Cathy holds a Master’s of Social Work degree from WMU, and their son, Michael, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Thomas P. Englert
As a student at WMU, Mr. Englert began working as an assistant store manager for a Discount Tire near campus. On his second day of employment, he met Bruce Halle, the founder, who became a mentor and friend. Mr. Englert graduated from WMU in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and remained at Discount Tire. He advanced with several promotions before moving west with the company to Scottsdale, Arizona in 1981.
Three decades after joining Discount Tire, in 2004, Mr. Englert left his position as executive vice president overseeing supply chain and purchasing for the company, and was named the CEO. During his time with the company, he helped to expand it from 23 to 900 stores, and as CEO grew annual sales from $1.8 to $4.3 billion while quadrupling profits. Five years after taking the helm, Discount Tire took top honors as the largest private company in Arizona in 2009.
In January, 2015, Mr. Englert stepped down from his position of CEO but remains an advisor and member of the board of directors. According to Forbes Magazine, as of 2015, Discount Tire is the 118th largest privately held U.S. Company.
Today, Mr. Englert and his wife, Cindy, live in Paradise Valley, Ariz. Mr. Englert serves as president of the Cheney Ranch Estates Homeowners Association, and Cindy is an artist who specializes in oil painting. Both are life members in the WMU Alumni Association.
As a student at Western Michigan University, Mr. Englert was affiliated with the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and was influenced by former communication professor Dr. Jules Rossman.