May 27, 2015 - King’s College recently received a gift of almost $270,000 from an alumnus which allowed it to exceed a $1 million dollar goal to permanently fund an endowed Executive in Residence Program established in honor of a former faculty member.

Housed in the William G. McGowan School of Business, the program was established to honor Angelo P. DeCesaris, a 1953 graduate of King’s and a member of the College’s faculty for 38 years. Highlights of his career include establishing the data processing major at King’s and serving as the first chair of the computer and information systems department. He is father to five King’s College graduates and grandfather to one.

The DeCesaris Executive in Residence Program marks the first fully-endowed faculty position in the 69-year history of King’s College.

“Angelo’s accomplishments as a faculty member epitomized the ability to adapt to the changing demands of the business world,” said Father John Ryan, C.S.C., King’s president. “The loyalty of many of his former students has allowed King’s to establish a position that is dedicated to training our students to be better prepared for the complex business world that they will enter.”

“The DeCesaris Executive in Residence acts as a cornerstone of the Student Professional Development initiative in the McGowan School of Business,” said Barry Williams, dean. “The position focuses on career mentoring which begins in the student’s first year at King’s. It also focuses on real world experience and ethical and socially responsible behavior.”

Mark R. Leffler, a 1975 graduate of King’s, was appointed the first DeCesaris Executive in Residence in 2011. He had more than three decades of experience in the chemical industry and was a partner in the Delmarva Chemical/G.F.I. Inc., and Executive Vice President at Basic Chemical Solutions before returning to King’s in 2009 as an assistant professor of management. 

“When this position was proposed, the concept was to identify a faculty member seeking to be a hands-on mentor to students in the business school, including being willing to live on-campus. The goal was a faculty member who vigorously mentored students, especially students with entrepreneurial ideas, and someone who would represent King’s and the McGowan School of Business to the surrounding business community,” said Leffler.