WILSON, N.C. — April 28, 2016 — Gregg A. DeMar will be the featured speaker at the 114th annual commencement exercises of Barton College in Wilson, scheduled for Saturday, May 14. A retired IBM business executive, DeMar has served as chair of the Barton College Board of Trustees since 2011. He has served on the College’s Board of Trustees for 21 years.
“We are delighted to welcome Chair Gregg DeMar as this year’s commencement speaker,” said Dr. Douglas N. Searcy, president of Barton College. “As he speaks to our graduating seniors and master’s degree candidates, he will share a message that is shaped by his wealth of experience and expertise. When I first met Chair DeMar, I was immediately captivated by his enthusiasm and energy as he talked about Barton College and its impact on our students and the community. I have seen firsthand his deep and abiding commitment for Barton and its students. It will be my great privilege to present Chair DeMar with the honorary Doctor of Business degree during the upcoming commencement exercises.”
Mr. DeMar served as the managing director in the Communications Sector for the IBM Corporation in New York until his retirement in 2010. During his most recent appointment at IBM, he held overall responsibility for leading and integrating IBM business activities across all IBM units in support of a Fortune 10 Communications Industry Corporate Client and its international affiliates. Joining IBM in 1976, Mr. DeMar’s earlier posts in IBM included a number of sales, management, and executive positions in Baton Rouge, Dallas, Raleigh, Detroit, and New York. Later appointments within the international corporation included director of marketing, trading area general manager, vice president – business partners’ channels, area general manager, vice president – worldwide RS/6000 UNIX server sales, and vice president for personal systems customer segment marketing.
He has been a member of Louisiana State University’s College of Basic Sciences Advisory Council since 1992, and he is currently a member of its Dean’s Circle. He was an IBM Diversity Executive at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., from 1992 – 2010. He recently served as leader of the Fairfield County, Connecticut Membership of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity from 2014 to 2016. He has also held membership on a variety of community boards during his professional career, including the United Way of Southeastern Michigan and INROADS for Metropolitan Detroit.
Born in New Orleans, La., Mr. DeMar is the son of the late William DeMar, Jr., and the late Leontine Bartholomew DeMar. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Engineering and Applied Physics from Harvard University.
Mr. DeMar currently makes his home in Stamford, Conn., with his wife, the former Hyacinth Rodney of New Orleans, La. They have three adult children: Brent DeMar of Chicago, Ill.; Troy DeMar who lives with his wife, Taryn, in Norwalk, Conn., and Keri DeMar of New York, N.Y. Mr. and Mrs. DeMar are members of the Union Baptist Church in Stamford, Conn., where he also served as Chair of the Trustee Ministry from 2004 through 2015.
In his retirement since 2010, Mr. DeMar principally spends his time in support of family in Connecticut, Louisiana, and Texas, and in support of a number of non-profit organizations and community initiatives.
Mr. DeMar was the featured speaker for Barton College’s 107th Opening Convocation in 2008. He is a past member of the Finance and Investment committees for the Barton College Board of Trustees, and he served as Chair of the School of Business Trustee Taskforce. He currently serves as a member of the Trusteeship Committee, in addition to serving as Chair of the Barton College Board of Trustees. Mr. and Mrs. DeMar were inaugural members of the Barton Society. Currently, they are recognized in the Bronze Circle, the Bell Society, and the Torchbearer Society at Barton.
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