James T. Conte *77

Jim died in New York City, Nov. 17, 2025.

He was born in Chicago, June 3, 1946, graduated from Kalamazoo College in 1968, majoring in political science. In 1977, he earned a Ph.D. in East Asian Studies at Princeton.

For more than a decade Jim lived in Tokyo, during which time he was president of Kraft Inc. and Campbell, Japan. In 1989, he returned to the U.S. to accept the position of vice president for international marketing at Northwestern Airlines. He ended his career in the fashion business, working for Tumi, Ajaline, Vera Bradley, Konstanstino, Gianfranco Lotti, and several German and Australian department stores.

Jim served on the board of trustees of Kalamazoo College and was active in political and social causes.

Jim resided in New York and San Francisco with his spouse, Dzan Liu Lao, who survives him.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.