On April 18, Barry Leonard was recognized as the 2013 NC State University College of Textiles Leader of the Year. The award recognizes a textile industry executive who has shown outstanding leadership qualities that have moved the textile industry forward in innovative ways. Members of the Kappa Tau Beta Leadership Fraternity and Phi Psi Fraternity choose the award recipient that best represents the goals and ideals of the two College of Textiles fraternities.
Barry Leonard is President and CEO of Welspun USA, the largest integrated towel manufacturer in Asia and a leading supplier to 14 of the top 30 United States retailers. Leonard received his undergraduate degree in textile technology from NC State University, his master’s degree from the Institute of Textile Technology and attended Harvard Business School as well.
Presently he serves on the Home Fashions Products Association Board and serves as vice president of the North Carolina Textile Foundation (NCTF) Board. The NCTF supports the College of Textiles by providing funds for scholarships to deserving undergraduate and graduate students, recruitment and retention of highly qualified professors and researchers and maintaining the College of Textiles with state-of-the-art equipment for research and education.
Dean A. Blanton Godfrey says, "Barry Leonard is an outstanding graduate of the College of Textiles and of the Institute of Textile Technology. Barry has had a fascinating, and extremely busy career, but somehow he finds time to support the college in numerous ways. Recently Barry became a member of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Textile Foundation. In this role he will have a major influence on the future of the college."
Throughout his career, Leonard has received many honors and awards for his contributions to the textile industry such as the Distinguished Leadership Award and the Home Textiles Leadership Award. Leonard was named Top 100 Most Powerful Leaders in Home Furnishing by HFN in 2010 and Top Five Future Leaders in Textiles by Textile World in 2001. Leonard is one of the surviving passengers of Flight 1549 bound for Charlotte, North Carolina that went down in the Hudson River in January 2009. Due to this experience, he has spoken internationally about managing crisis and has been featured in the book, "Brace for Impact".
