Rosemary Petranech, the longest-serving diversity officer in the history of Marquette University, died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on January 10. She was 82 years old and had suffered from lung cancer.
A native of Milwaukee, Petranech was the daughter of the owner of small neighborhood restaurants. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Marquette University in 1967.
A decade later, Petranech joined the staff at the university as the affirmative action officer. In this role, she monitored the university’s hiring decisions and kept supervisors aware of the university’s and the government equal employment opportunity regulations.
She retired from the university in 1999. Upon her retirement, Robert A. Wild, who was president of Marquette University at that time stated that “Rosemary has been a key force in assuring equal employment opportunities for all within the workplace as well as the advancement and development of women and minorities here at Marquette. She indeed has personified the Jesuit ideal of service to others.”