HIGH POINT, N.C., July 21, 2014 – High Point University has appointed three distinguished leaders in business to its National Board of Advisors: Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, CEO & Owner of Pace Communications, Chairwoman of the American Red Cross and former U.S. Ambassador to Finland; Kurt L. Darrow, President and CEO of La-Z-Boy; and Rich Handler, CEO and Director of Leucadia and CEO and Chairman of the Board for Jefferies Group, a global investment banking firm headquartered in New York.
The board is comprised of leaders in education, Fortune 500 CEOs, and distinguished visionaries who are positively impacting the United States and the world in significant ways. It includes Gen. Colin Powell, former secretary of state, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and national security advisor; Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder; Dr. James Moeser, chancellor emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Ron Wanek, founder and chairman of Ashley Furniture; Kelly King, chairman and CEO of BB&T; and Marty Flanagan, president and CEO of Invesco Ltd. Invesco, whose international headquarters are located in Atlanta, is a leading independent investment management firm with branch offices in 20 countries and more than $778 billion in assets.
“These leaders have charted their own path in life and achieved great success in business, philanthropy and more,” says Dr. Nido Qubein, HPU president. “Their work demonstrates to our students that the American dream is alive and well, and those who believe in it can thrive.”
• Bonnie McElveen-Hunter is always reaching for the next challenge, whether it’s with Pace Communications, service to country or volunteer leadership. As U.S. ambassador to Finland, Bonnie organized the Helsinki Women Business Leaders’ Summit, in which female CEOs from the United States, the Baltic region and Russia created a business model to be replicated in other parts of the world. She is one of the nation’s most successful woman entrepreneurs, and always finds time to give back. McElveen-Hunter is the chairwoman of the American Red Cross and the recipient of many awards. She recently spoke at High Point University’s Leadership Roundtable.
• Kurt L. Darrow has played a pivotal role in La-Z-Boy’s success serving as Chairman of the Board since 2011 and becoming President and CEO of La-Z-Boy Inc. in 2003. He served as Chairman at American Home Furnishings Alliance in 2008, is Vice Chairman on the Board of Mercy Memorial Hospital in Monroe, has been a Director at CMS Energy Corp. since 2013, and serves as a Director of Business Leaders for Michigan.
• Rich Handler is the longest-tenured CEO on Wall Street. He became the CEO of Leucadia National Corp. in 2013 and has been CEO of the Jefferies Group Inc. since 2001 where he also co-founded the High Yield Capital Markets at Jefferies in 1990. Jeffries Group Inc. holds more than $43 billion in assets and was named one of the World’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune magazine in 2011. Handler also serves as Chairman and CEO of the Handler Family Foundation and serves on the Board of Trustees of University of Rochester. He is also the proud father of an HPU graduate.