Dwight D. Opperman is currently chairman of Key Investments, a privately held
venture capitalVenture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm focusing on high-tech ventures. Previously, Opperman was the CEO of West Publishing Company (now known as
Thomson ReutersThomson Reuters Corporation is a provider of information for the world's businesses and professionals and is created by the Thomson Corporation's purchase of Reuters Group on 17 April 2008. Thomson Reuters is headquartered at 3 Times Square, New York City, USA...
) and while he was CEO the company moved into technology products with the creation of the
WestlawWestlaw is one of the primary online legal research services for lawyers and legal professionals in the United States and is a part of West. In addition, it provides proprietary database services...
legal database.
Opperman received his law degree from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa. He has since served on the
Board of GovernorsBoard of governors is a term sometimes applied to the board of directors of a public entity or non-profit organization.Many public institutions, such as public universities, are government-owned corporations. The British Broadcasting Corporation was managed by a board of governors, though this role...
of
Drake UniversityDrake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
and
endowedA financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
the Opperman Scholars program which provides scholarships to 5 incoming 1Ls each year. These are full-tuition scholarships along with a cash stipend (most recently, $10,000 per year) for living expenses. They are renewable provided the student remains in the upper third of his or her class. Opperman also endows the Dwight D. Opperman Constitutional Law Lecture at Drake, a lecture given annually by the nation's foremost scholars in the field of constitutional law - most often, U.S. Supreme Court justices. Past lecturers include: Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Justice Steven Breyer, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Justice Lewis F. Powell, and Justice Harry A. Blackmun. Justice Thomas thought so much of the experience that he returned in 2000, 2002 and 2006 to teach a special one-week seminar on the Supreme Court. Drake's main law building and law library have been named in Opperman's honor and in 1994, a campus plaza was dedicated in memory of his wife, Jeanice Opperman, who died in 1993. He has also donated to the
New York University School of LawThe New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
and
Hamline University School of LawHamline University School of Law is a private law school affiliated with Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The School of Law was founded in 1972 as the Midwestern School of Law by a group of legal professionals. In 1976, it was absorbed by Hamline University as its own School of Law,...
.
In 2002,
Forbes 400The Forbes 400 or 400 Richest Americans is a list published by Forbes Magazine magazine of the wealthiest 400 Americans, ranked by net worth. The list is published annually in September, and 2010 marks the 29th issue. The 400 was started by Malcom Forbes in 1982 and treats those in the list like...
ranked Opperman as the 239th richest person in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; in 2004, his rank was 315th.
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