Nido R. Qubein

DNido R. Qubein became the seventh president of High Point University (HPU), his alma mater, in January 2005. He feels blessed (and at times surprised) that he is the longest serving president of HPU, as well as the longest serving active college president in North Carolina. Under his transformational leadership, HPU has grown in many areas: the number of academic schools increased from three to 14 (including dental medicine and law), enrollment increased from 1,400 to 6,500 students, endowment grew by 400%, and net assets grew by 900%. The size of the campus expanded from 90 acres to 600, with 128 academic and student life buildings. Most importantly, retention, graduation rates, and national rankings all climbed in impressive ways.

Nido came to the United States as a teenager with limited knowledge of English and only $50. A serial entrepreneur, he founded several businesses, which led to a prolific career as a business and leadership speaker and consultant. He has been the recipient of dozens of national recognitions, including induction into the Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans, the DAR’s Americanism Award, and (along with four U.S. presidents) the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He is a member of the International Speakers Hall of Fame and has served as president of the National Speakers Association. Nido has even been named citizen of the year and philanthropist of the year in his home city of High Point.

As a business leader, he served on the boards of national organizations, including Truist Financial Corporation, La-Z-boy, and Savista Healthcare. He was also the executive chairman of the Great Harvest Bread Company with 240 stores in the U.S. He has authored more than a dozen books and released scores of leadership audio and visual recordings translated into many languages. His latest book, Extraordinary Transformation, is an Amazon best seller. In it, he shares innovative strategies that sparked HPU’s incredible growth in size and academic stature. The Biography Channel and Amazon televised his Emmy-nominated life story, titled A Life of Success and Significance.

Nido has been married to his wife, Mariana, for 48 years. Together, they have four children and nine grandchildren.