Change and opportunity

Legatus founder Tom Monaghan talks about his transition from leadership at AMU . . .

Thomas Monaghan

As many of you may have heard, I recently stepped down as CEO of Ave Maria University (AMU) as a part of a leadership transition plan that I’ve been working on with the university board over the last couple of years.

At a press conference in February, we announced that Jim Towey would be the university’s new president and CEO. I will continue in my capacity as chancellor and member of the board of trustees, but I have relinquished the responsibilities of CEO and hence the oversight of the university’s daily operations.

I have known Jim for more than 10 years and look forward to all that he brings to the table for AMU. Many of you probably know Jim (or know of him) from the time he served in George W. Bush’s administration as assistant to the President and director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Prior to that, he also functioned as the legal representative in the U.S. and Canada for Blessed Mother Teresa. Most recently, he served as president of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.

Change is something that we all face throughout our lives, and while it inevitably has challenging elements, I believe it also holds great opportunity.

This new structure at the university will allow me to spend more time working with our supporters not only in Naples, but across the country. It will also give me more time to spend with my family, which I am looking forward to. I turned 74 in March, and I value my time with them — especially as the grandkids grow up so quickly.

In addition to being able to travel more for the university, I will also be in a position to do more public speaking in general — including getting to more Legatus chapter meetings across the country.

This is something I have very much wanted to do over the years, but have been limited in accomplishing due to my past responsibilities. So, I look forward to hopefully seeing many of you at your local chapter events!

Thomas Monaghan is Legatus’ founder and chairman. He is a member of Legatus’ Naples Chapter.