Entrepreneur Named Chair of Saint Leo University Board of Trustees

PHOENIX, June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Local entrepreneur and philanthropist Donald R. Tapia has been named chair of the Board of Trustees of Saint Leo University (www.saintleo.edu), one of the largest and most innovative Catholic universities in the nation, effective July 1, 2011.

Saint Leo University is home to the Donald R. Tapia School of Business, whose new state-of-the-art academic facility is currently under construction at University Campus in Central Florida. Mr. Tapia studied through Saint Leo University's Center for Online Learning to earn his bachelor's degree in business administration in 2005. Already a successful businessman when he enrolled in Saint Leo, he had grown Essco Wholesale Electric Inc., of Chandler, into one of the largest Hispanic-owned businesses in Arizona. After visiting Saint Leo's campus for the first time in 2005 for his commencement, his relationship with Saint Leo strengthened. He joined the board of trustees in 2006, and earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Saint Leo, also online, in 2007.

Mr. Tapia sold Essco in 2008 but has remained active in business and philanthropy. His $4 million gift to Saint Leo is the largest donation in the university's history. The academic center that will house the Donald R. Tapia School of Business will be ready this August. Its communications technology, interactive software and large touch-screen displays will enable students and faculty at University Campus to interact with their counterparts at Saint Leo's teaching locations elsewhere. Students who are not business majors and are enrolled in majors through Saint Leo's other schools will also benefit from this new facility.

Saint Leo University offers more than 40 academic programs.

Chartered in 1889 in the town of Saint Leo, FL, approximately 30 miles north of Tampa, Saint Leo University currently enrolls more than 15,000 students. Students may choose to study at the traditional University Campus, at 17 regional education centers, or through the university's Center for Online Learning. Saint Leo is a leader in the field of online education and one of the nation's foremost providers of higher education to the military.

SOURCE Saint Leo University