William P. Kusack, Jr., managing director of JP Morgan Capital Corp. (JPMCC), has been named chairman of DePaul University’s College of Commerce Advisory Council. The 60-member council of prominent executives provides guidance for DePaul’s undergraduate and graduate business degree programs, including its highly ranked evening MBA program for working professionals.

Kusack, a 1978 DePaul MBA graduate, has been a member of the council since 2002. He replaces fellow alumnus James M. Jenness, the chairman and CEO of Kellogg Co., who is stepping down after serving for a decade in the council’s leadership. Jenness will continue to serve his alma mater as a DePaul trustee and as a member of the business school’s advisory council.

“The fact that such distinguished business leaders and alumni are eager to help chart the course of DePaul’s business school is reflected in the school’s reputation for providing high-quality, career-oriented programs,” said Ray Whittington, dean of the College of Commerce and Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. “We greatly appreciate the leadership provided by Jim Jenness over the last 10 years and look forward to Bill’s insights as the new chair of the advisory council, which plays an important role in shaping the business school’s real-world programs and strong connections to the business community.”

Kusack said he is “continually impressed by the sincere and genuine interest council members have in assisting the dean and the college and am honored to be a part of this dedicated group.”

Kusack has been part of the management team of JPMCC – a wholly-owned subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase – since 1975. In addition to his role as managing director, he also serves on JPMCC’s Board of Directors.

After five years in public accounting with Arthur Andersen & Co., Kusack joined First Chicago Leasing Corporation (the predecessor to JPMCC) to build its business of investing in tax-oriented equipment leases. Today is responsible for a portfolio of equipment leases, alternative energy programs and affordable housing projects valued at more than $6 billion.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Saint Joseph’s College, Kusack earned his MBA from DePaul while working at JPMCC. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Illinois.

Kusack also serves on the executive committee of DePaul’s Finance Advisory Board and chairs its development committee.

Offering highly respected, practical, flexible programs of business study, DePaul’s College of Commerce encompasses the university’s undergraduate business program, with more than 4,000 students, and the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, which enrolls about 1,800 students. The accredited business school’s evening MBA program is ranked 11th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in its “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2007” guidebook, which surveyed 399 schools. The program has the second largest part-time MBA enrollment in the country, enabling the business school to offer a wide-range of concentrations in relevant business subjects.

The business school’s entrepreneurship program was ranked among the 13 best in the country in Entrepreneur Magazine’s annual evaluation of the “Top 100 Entrepreneurial Colleges.” Fortune Small Business magazine has recognized the college’s Ryan Center for Creativity & Innovation among 10 university programs that are “entrepreneurial hot spots” possessing “the most innovative programs for fledgling business owners.”