UND grad to give commencement address Linda Pancratz, chair and CEO of Mountain Capital, LLC and a University of North Dakota graduate, will give the main commencement talk at UND’s winter commencement Friday, Dec. 14, at the Chester Fritz Auditorium. The Graduate School ceremony is at 10 a.m., and the undergraduate ceremony is at 2 p.m. President Charles Kupchella will preside over his last UND winter commencement. The UND Television Center will carry the ceremonies live on Cable Channel 3. Both ceremonies will also be Webcast live. You can find the link at UND’s home page, www.und.edu. Linda Pancratz grew up in Grand Forks and earned a BSBA in business administration from the University of North Dakota in 1976, graduating with honors. She also attended the JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University completing their executive programs. Pancratz recently retired as chair of the board and chief executive officer of TDL Infomedia Limited in the United Kingdom. In 1997, she participated in a management buyout of the company and in 2000, sold the company to Seat Pagine Gialle, S.p.A. She served on the Group Executive Committee of Seat Pagine Gialle, S.p.A. (Italy) and on the board of directors of TDL Infomedia Limited (UK), Thomson Directories Limited (UK), TDL Infospace Europe (UK), Thomson Directories Pension Company Limited (UK), Mobile Commerce (UK) and Euredit (France). Under her leadership, Thomson Directories Limited was recognized as one of the “Times Top 100 Companies in the UK” and received the “Investors in People Award.” The Thomson Directories Pension Company Limited was recognized for “Trustee Excellence,” as well as being named the “Best Small Pension Scheme in the UK.” Prior to moving to the UK in 1995, Pancratz held a number of senior management positions at US West including vice president, Small Business Services; vice president, Business and Government Services; and vice president, Mass Market Service Delivery. Over the years, she was active in many community organizations and served on numerous boards including Junior Achievement, American Cancer Society, Training Partnership Inc., Girls Club of Omaha, Management Women’s Association and the Pine to Prairie Girl Scout Council. Pancratz is currently chair and CEO of Mountain Capital, LLC, an investment company. She also serves as president of the ELM Family Foundation Limited and is on the board of directors of the University of North Dakota Alumni Association and Foundation. Pancratz and her husband, Mark, a 1977 graduate from UND, and their daughter, Elizabeth, recently relocated to Colorado from the United Kingdom.