Villanova salutes Class of 2018 graduates
RADNOR » Robert F. Moran, a Villanova University alumnus, spoke to the class of 2018 at the Villanova University graduation ceremony Friday. Moran, chairman of the board of GNC Holdings, Inc., also received an honorary doctoral degree.
Before becoming chairman of GNC, he was GNC’s interim chief executive officer and remains active in the company’s operations. Previously, he spent several years as chairman and CEO of PetSmart Inc.
Moran has more than 40 years of international, financial, operational and merchandizing experience in the retail sector. He also served as president of Toys R Us, Ltd, Canada, was CEO of Sears de Mexico, and was chief financial officer and executive vice president of Galerias Preciados of Madrid, Spain. He was named to the “Fortune” magazine list of the top 50 business people in 2011 and 2012.
Moran previously served as a member of the Villanova School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council and is currently a member of the board of directors of the GNC Holdings Inc., Hanesbrands Inc. and Fressnapf Holdings SE.
He is also active in charitable endeavors including St. Michael’s Indian School in northern Arizona and sits on the board of the U.S. Track & Field Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports Olympic hopefuls and brings fitness programs to schools.
Sister Deirdre M. Byrne, M.D., a physician, surgeon and member of the Order of the Little Workers of the Sacred Heart, received an honorary doctorate in medical science. She is a medical missionary with the Catholic Charities Medical Clinic in Washington, D.C. Byrne is also a retired U.S. Army officer.
In addition, the Rev. Dr. Wayne E. Croft, Sr., a pastor, writer and scholar, was awarded a doctoral degree of humane letters. He served as the senior pastor of the St. Paul’s Baptist Church in West Chester for 20 years. Among other things, He is president of the NAACP’s West Chester Branch and has been inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College. His sermons have been published under the title “The Promise Guaranteed, A Candidate for the Hall of Faith.” He is the author of three books, including the upcoming, “There’s a Bright Side Somewhere: The Motif of Hope in African American Preaching During Slavery and PostCivil War.”
Also, the university awarded honorary degrees to James C. Davis, the chairman and cofounder of Allegis Group, and Terence O’Toole, founder and managing partner at Macanta Investments LLC. and the co-chair and trustee of the O’Toole Family Foundation were awarded honorary degrees.