Tom Leppert

Thomas Chris Leppert (born June 15, 1954) is an American businessman and former politician who is the former CEO of Kaplan, Inc., one of the world's largest education providers.

Leppert was a member of the youth leadership organization DeMolay International and rose up the ranks of Arizona DeMolay to become State Master Councilor (State President) in 1972–1973.

Leppert is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in economics with cum laude honors in 1977 and served as Student Body President.

He then went on to attend Harvard Business School, where he received a M.B.A. with Distinction in 1979.

He attended college at Harvard University, where upon graduation in 1979, worked in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and New York City before moving to Dallas between 1986 and 1989; in 1989, he moved to Honolulu, where he resided until 1999 (when he became CEO of the Turner Corporation).

Upon joining Turner, he relocated to the Park Cities (an affluent suburb of Dallas) and moved the holding company's headquarters to Dallas.

Leppert served as a White House Fellow in the Reagan Administration in 1984 and 1985.

He was one of 13 fellows chosen from 1,247 applicants by President Ronald Reagan in 1984.

During his fellowship, Leppert worked for the secretary of the Treasury and on the White House staff.

He moved to Dallas in 2003.

Leppert was chairman and CEO of the Turner Corporation (a subsidiary of German construction company Hochtief AG) prior to being elected mayor of Dallas.

Turner Construction Company (a subsidiary of Turner Corp.) is currently the largest commercial builder in the United States.

Leppert credits himself with earning more profits for the company during his seven-year tenure than in the company's previous 97 years combined, and moving a related holding company headquarters (employing 15 people, including Leppert) from New York City to Dallas; Turner Construction continues to be headquartered in New York.

During his career, Leppert also held positions at McKinsey & Co., Trammell Crow Company, Bank of Hawaii, and Castle & Cooke Properties, Inc.

Leppert was elected to the Board of Directors of Washington Mutual (at the time, the largest savings and loan association in the United States) in 2005; as part of his election, he was also named to the Board of Directors' Governance and Audit committees.

During Leppert's time on the Board of Directors, Washington Mutual collapsed — the largest bank failure in American financial history.

Leppert is a member of First Baptist Church Dallas and was formerly a member of the Dallas Country Club (prior to resigning in December 2006 due to his concern that the club's tradition of refusing membership to black applicants could become an issue during the mayoral campaign).

He and his wife Laura have two sons and a daughter.

Leppert grew up in Phoenix, Arizona.

Leppert received the Torch of Conscience award from the Dallas-based Southwest region of the American Jewish Congress in 2006, the Russell H. Perry Free Enterprise Award from Dallas Baptist University for achievement in free enterprise and service to the community in 2009, and the Distinguished Business Leader award from the Dallas chapter of the Texas Association of Business in 2010.

Leppert, a member of the Republican Party, previously served as the 58th mayor of Dallas, Texas from 2007 to 2011 and was unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012.

Leppert worked as CEO of the Turner Corporation prior to his election as mayor of Dallas in 2007.

, Leppert was the last Republican to be elected Mayor of Dallas, although the city's current mayor, Eric Johnson, who was elected as a Democrat became a Republican in 2023.

He was also named a 2007 "Business Person of the Year" finalist by the Dallas Business Journal, and "CEO Of The Year" by D Magazine in 2008.

Leppert defeated city councilman Ed Oakley in a runoff election June 16, 2007, winning with 58 percent of the vote.

Some attribute his win to unexpected support from leaders within the African American community of the traditionally Democratic southern section of the city and his appeal to Republicans.

While the office of mayor is officially non-partisan, like all municipal offices in Texas, Leppert is a Republican who participates in party fundraising events.

After his first year in office, Leppert's runoff election opponent (Oakley) praised him for his leadership and for delivering on his campaign promises: "There's no question: Tom's done an excellent job. He's delivered on his priorities."

Shortly before Leppert's resignation, however, Oakley had second thoughts and publicly wondered whether Leppert was more interested in his own advancement than the city's.

On May 17, 2008, Leppert received an honorary doctorate from his undergraduate alma mater, Claremont McKenna College, for which he serves as a trustee.

Leppert told graduates to "know your principles" and encouraged them to write them down.

"This may sound simple and obvious, but over the course of a lifetime, it may be one of the most difficult promises you ever keep. I know I am confronted by this each and every day. Simply stated, using generic terms like honesty and integrity are not near enough[...] People rarely get in trouble or lose their compass in one fell swoop... it is a series of small compromises, missteps that lead to a landslide... and a lost sense of self."

In the same speech, Leppert called his visit to Auschwitz a "single day [that] changed the way I looked at the world."

He was inducted into the DeMolay International Hall of Fame in 2010.

Inducted into the DeMolay International Hall of Fame in 2010.

He did not run for a second term as mayor and instead sought the Republican nomination in the 2012 United States Senate election in Texas.

He placed third in the primary behind Ted Cruz and David Dewhurst.

Leppert became President and Chief Operating Officer of Kaplan, Inc. in January 2013, assuming day-to-day oversight of the company's operating divisions: Kaplan Test Prep and Kaplan Higher Education in the United States, and Kaplan International, with operations across Europe, Asia, and Australia.

In April 2014, Leppert became CEO of Kaplan, Inc.

He had oversight of the company's operating divisions (Kaplan Test Prep and Kaplan Higher Education in the United States, and Kaplan International) until his resignation was announced in July 2015.