National American University has announced the appointment of John C. Quinn as director and executive officer of its Rapid City campus, effective Monday, July 21.

Quinn, 64, is currently senior professor and director of external relations for the Rapid City campus. He joined the faculty as an adjunct instructor in 1996 and became a full-time faculty member in 2006. He has taught courses in business, finance, law and other fields.

"It is crucial to the economic growth and well-being of this area to have a strong, vital and innovative private university specializing in business programs," Quinn said in a prepared statement. "We intend to provide a student-centered and student-responsive education that will benefit everyone involved, using the resources of an institution that has been part of this community since 1941.

Just as the university has changed and evolved over the past 67 years, it will continue to change and evolve in the years ahead, Quinn said.

"Dr. Quinn brings a wealth of experience to the position, and we have great expectations for the Rapid City campus under his leadership," said Ronald Shape, chief operating officer and chief finance officer for the National American University system.

NAU opened its first campus in 1941 in Rapid City, and the school has grown to 17 locations throughout the central United States. In 1996, NAU began developing online courses through its distance learning virtual campus and now offers diverse online courses. NAU added graduate studies programming in 2000 and offers a Master of Management degree and the Master of Business Administration, as well as associate and bachelor's degree programs in a variety of career fields. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Before returning to Rapid City in 1996, Quinn spent 28 years as a Wall Street investment analyst, portfolio manager and executive, working for the investment arms of financial corporations including J.P. Morgan, Merrill Lynch, Chase Manhattan Bank, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and National Westminster Bank. He was chief executive officer or chief investment officer of investment units in New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Quinn earned a bachelor's degree from Yale, a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a master of laws and a Doctor of Juridical Science from New York University, and a master of arts in comparative Asian studies from the University of Hong Kong. He also attended George Washington University.

He has done business in more than 70 countries and has given presentations and appeared in the media on six continents. He has been a congressional aide and a consultant to the executive office of the president. Quinn is the author of three books and co-author of a fourth, with a fifth scheduled for release in 2009. He also has served as a consultant and an adviser to selected investors domestically and internationally.

In Rapid City, he is a past director of the Black Hills Workshop Foundation and the Rapid City Arts Council. He regularly contributes a column to the Black Hills Business Journal of the Rapid City Journal.

Quinn is a native of Rapid City and a fourth-generation South Dakotan. He and his wife, Monika, have two adult sons and two grandchildren.