Lifestyles page of The Delta Statement

1. The Delta Statement Lifestyles A3 Thursday, November 13, 2014
Alumnus of the Year: Anthony “Tony” Garcia
Margaret Wade statue dedication set for Nov. 14
The dedication for the statue honoring legendary coach Margaret Wade will be on Friday. Photo by Najawon Wilson
Alumni Association
Tony Garcia leads a
140-year-old international
fi nancial services
company that manages
more than $25 billion in assets
and employs nearly 2,000 people
on two continents.
But for the seasoned
executive, many of the values
that shape his leadership style
today can be traced back to a
specifi c period in his youth —
his experience on the campus
of Delta State University in the
1980s.
“It was the perfect size
university for me,” said Garcia,
who received his Bachelor’s of
Business Administration degree
at Delta State in 1986. Currently,
he is the president and CEO of
Foresters in Toronto, Canada.
“A lot of what I learned in
that kind of college experience
that stayed with me was about
working together as a team,” he
said. “Whether it was with my
fraternity brothers, on the tennis
team or in study groups that
would meet outside of class —
the experience taught me a lot
about sharing and responsibility,
and about what it means to work
with each other.”
Garcia, a native of Florida,
went on to earn an MBA from
Northwestern University’s
Kellogg School of Management.
He has led a successful career
that has included executive
positions in leading insurance
and fi nancial-services companies
across the United States.
Garcia began reconnecting
with his alma mater several years
ago. He was both surprised and
humbled to learn he would be
honored as DSU Alumnus of the
Year.
“There was no way, back
in 1983 when I made that trek
from Panama City to Cleveland
to pursue my degree, that I would
have imagined I would ever be
acknowledged like this,” Garcia
said. “I feel incredibly humbled.”
He came to Delta State
when he was recruited for the
men’s tennis team. Gina George,
a childhood friend who had
played on the women’s tennis
team, made the connection for
him.
On campus, Garcia joined
Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and
soon found his niche.
“I met a lot of great people,”
he said. Chief among them — his
wife, the former Donna Ashby,
who was born in Clarksdale and
had graduated from Washington
School in Greenville.
“For us as students, there
was always something going
on,” he said. “Cleveland’s a
small town, but it was a terrifi c
place to get an education.”
Tony and Donna wed soon
after he fi nished college. Today,
they have fi ve children: Kristen,
28; Anthony, 24; Alex, 13; Ayden,
7; and Adam, 5. The chance to
raise their three younger kids
in a different culture was part
of Garcia’s decision to take the
reins at Foresters in May of 2014.
“In Toronto, we’ve
experienced a very warm
welcome,” he said. “Since I grew
up in Florida, I have a bit of a
Southern accent — not as much
as my wife — but the Canadian
community here has welcomed
my family with such a warm
embrace. We’ve found them to
be very open, and to be the kind
of people who welcome diversity
— not only of race and religion,
but also diversity of thought. It’s
been a terrifi c move for us.”
Garcia and his family most
recently lived in Cincinnati,
where he was president of Western
and Southern Agency Group. His
previous posts include president
and CEO of TIAA-CREF Life
Insurance Company, senior vice
president of HealthMarkets Inc.,
and senior vice president of
Household International/HSBC.
He also spent 11 years early in
his career with Allstate Insurance
Company.
According to Garcia, his
success would not be possible
without his wife Donna.
“Donna’s support, through
all the moves and new roles, has
been critical,” he said. “I could
not have done this without her.”
In making the move to
Foresters, Garcia was attracted
by the company’s service-oriented
focus.
“As a fraternal benefi ts
society, we give back to the
communities where we live and
work in a signifi cant way,” he
said. “Since I’ve joined, we’ve
marked the completion of the
100th playground we’ve built in
North America. It’s exciting to see
the fulfi llment of our company’s
mission to enhance family well-being
for our members and their
communities.”
Within the company, Garcia
has spent the past few months
getting to know the people who
comprise Foresters across its
three markets — Canada, the
United States and the United
Kingdom. He’s also been focused
on working to understand the
challenges and opportunities of
the business, in order to better
pursue a long-term strategy for
its next generation of growth.
Garcia has brought to the
post a transparent, authentic
leadership style that has aided
him in his previous positions. It’s
a gift that works to rally others
around his vision for a business.
“I have high expectations
for myself and for others, but it’s
been important to communicate
those expectations in a way that’s
grounded in trust,” he said. “One
of the most important lessons
I’ve learned is how to be a good
listener. And if you listen long
enough, people will tell you how
they want to be led.”
At the same time, he said,
embracing a culture of ethics in
business has helped him build
trust among those he leads. The
approach is so central to his
leadership style, he was elected
as a board member for the Cary
M. Maguire Center for Ethics
in Financial Services at The
American College.
He has served as a keynote
speaker on the topic of business
ethics, and also shares his
perspective with the junior
executives he mentors.
“No matter what stage
you areat in your career, the
most important thing you can
do is to judge organizations by
their culture — how they make
decisions and how they view
ethics,” he said. “The goal is
to align with an organization
that shares your value system
— that aligns around not just
your professional goals but your
personal goals as well.”
For Garcia, leading a
service-oriented business like
Foresters has brought those
two aspects together perfectly.
Yet, as he dives into this new
season of his career, he is able
to refl ect upon the way his skills
and values took root on a small
campus in the Mississippi Delta.
“In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the
culture of the business world
was focused on individual
performance,” he said. “But what
I learned at Delta State was the
power of working in teams and
helping each other out.
“I feel like that experience
of teamwork and collaboration
has helped shape the sense of
personal responsibility I’ve
carried with me since then.”
Delta State Athletics
Margaret Wade’s impact
on women’s collegiate
athletics and the
game of basketball
is immeasurable. On Friday,
Nov. 14 at 2 p.m., Delta State
University and the Department
of Athletics will dedicate a statue
in honor of Wade’s indelible
legacy.
“No single individual
has had a larger impact on
women’s athletics, especially in
Mississippi, than coach Margaret
Wade,” director of athletics
Ronnie Mayers said. “Her
legacy lives on today through
the countless young women
who have the opportunity to
participate and enjoy competitive
sports.”
The dedication ceremony
will begin at 2 p.m. on the West
Plaza of Kent Wyatt Hall. Delta
State President Bill LaForge
will host the event that features
former presidents Dr. Kent
Wyatt and Dr. Aubrey Lucas,
and former Ole Miss and WNBA
head coach Van Chancellor.
A reception will follow the
ceremony in the Leroy Morganti
Atrium of Wyatt Hall.
Wade served as head coach
of the Lady Statesmen from
1973-79, leading Delta State
to three consecutive AIAW
National Championships from
1974-75 through 1976-77.
During that time, Wade amassed
a remarkable 157-23 record and
helped pave the way for future
female head coaches like Pat
Summitt to excel in the sport
they love.
“Her fi rst four years back
in coaching have been called
one of the most amazing
accomplishments in sports
history,” said Langston Rogers,
former Delta State and Ole Miss
sports information director.
During those four years,
Delta State went from having no
team at all to Wade leading the
Lady Statesmen to a 109-6 record
and the three national titles.
Wade received numerous
awards during her career,
including AIAW National
Coach of the Year, “Kellogg’s
Mississippi Coach of the Year,”
and following her retirement
the title of “Mother of Modern
Collegiate Basketball” was
bestowed her by the Women’s
Basketball Coaches Association.
In addition to being the
most recognizable name in
women’s college basketball in
Mississippi, the WBCA named
its player of the year award after
the Mississippi Delta legend. The
“Lily Margaret Wade Trophy” is
annually awarded to the nation’s
top women’s basketball player
in the NCAA. In 1978, Wade
awarded the fi rst-ever trophy
to Montclair State guard Carol
Blazejowski.
In 1986, the Naismith
National Basketball Hall
of Fame made Wade the
first female and first female
head coach to be enshrined
into the Hall. She is also a
member of the Delta State
University Sports Hall of
Fame, Mississippi Sports
Hall of Fame, and Women’s
Basketball Hall of Fame.
Tori Jenkins was crowned the 2013 Homecoming Queen. Photo by Elisabetta Zengaro
DSU 2014 Homecoming
Court announced
LaPetra Wilson
Staff Writer
Delta State University
will be welcoming
home all of its alumni
on Friday, Nov. 14, as
the school celebrates its annual
Homecoming festivities.
The Homecoming Court
will be unveiled with a queen to
be crowned. Each undergraduate
class is represented by two
maids.
Brinkley Henry is a
freshman maid majoring in
elementary education, and
Shelby Tuttle is a freshmen maid
majoring in business.
Katie Ann Locke and Dana
Newsome are the sophomore
maids. Locke is majoring in
entertainment industry studies,
and Newsome is majoring in
biochemical engineering.
The junior maids are Allison
Dale and Emilee Grem.
Dale is a business
administration major with a
focus in marketing, and Grem is
a pre-nursing major.
There are three senior
maids, and they are Ericka
Robinson, an interdisciplinary
studies major with focuses on
biology and child development;
Taylor Holland, a biology/pre-physical
therapy major; and
Whitney Crum, a speech and
hearing sciences major.
One of the three senior
maids will be crowned as the
2014 Homecoming Queen at
halftime during Delta State’s
Homecoming Game against
Mississippi College on Nov. 15.