Richard Leone newly appointed American Savings Foundation Endowed Chair in Banking and Finance
SOUTHINGTON, CT (January 25, 2018) — Central Connecticut State University is proud to announce that Richard A. Leone, CEO of COCC, Inc., has been appointed as the American Savings Foundation Endowed Chair in Banking and Finance at CCSU.
Leone, who earned a B.S. in Accounting at CCSU in 1981, has more than 25 years of experience at COCC – a financial technology company based in Southington, CT with the past 15 years as CEO. His one-year term as the ASF Endowed Chair will involve teaching an upper-level course in finance, encouraging research, curriculum development, and interaction between academia and outside institutions, bringing in special lecturers, and working with faculty and students on research projects.
“We’re extremely pleased that Rich Leone is willing to give back to his alma mater and share his incredible experience with our students,” says Ken Colwell, dean of CCSU’s School of Business. “As the ASF Endowed Chair, Rich will bring a wealth of real-world knowledge into his classroom – insights into the financial industry, the rapidly evolving technology trends, his success in creating a culture of strong customer service at COCC. They’re the kind of lessons not found in textbooks and will prove invaluable to our students.”
Under Leone’s leadership, COCC revenues tripled while becoming the premier provider of technology solutions to banks and credit unions throughout the northeast. In addition to its well-established reputation for responsive customer service, COCC is consistently rated as a “top workplace” in the state. In 2015, Leone was recognized as a “top leader” in the midsized companies category by the Hartford Courant Top Workplaces program and in 2017 COCC was named the Number 1 Top Workplace in Connecticut in the midsize category.
About COCC
COCC, a recognized leader in delivering innovated comprehensive technology and partnerships, offers feature-rich, modern standards-based core and digital banking solutions, combining intuitive user experiences and APIs to streamline advanced fintech integrations. COCC clients leverage a complete suite of modern financial technology solutions. COCC has been client-owned for over 50 years, acting as a partner to clients with an unmatched focus on service to help community banks and credit unions meet their unique and ever-changing needs. To learn more, visit www.cocc.com.
