Pete Ricketts, AB'86, MBA'91

Pete Ricketts is currently serving as the junior United States senator for Nebraska. He was sworn in on January 23, 2023.

Ricketts served as Nebraska’s governor for two terms. As governor, Ricketts focused on services to Nebraskans, working with legislature to deliver over $12.7 billion in tax relief, including over $10 billion in property tax relief, by 2027. He fully eliminated state taxes on veterans’ retirement income starting in 2022 and on Social Security benefits by 2025.

Ricketts previously worked for Union Pacific as well as his family’s business, a company that would eventually become known as Ameritrade. He also founded Drakon, LLC, which supports Nebraska entrepreneurs and startup companies.

He currently serves on the board of the Mid-America Council of the Boy Scouts and as a director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation. He is also a member of the board of advisors of Opportunity Education Foundation, a member of the Archbishop’s Committee for Development, a member of the Knights of Columbus, and a knight of the Holy Sepulchre. Previously, he was a board member of TD Ameritrade and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Chicago and his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.