New Director of Human Resources Named

Darcy de Leon, Andrews Alumnus

On April 9, 2018, President Andrea Luxton announced that Darcy de Leon has accepted the invitation to serve as Andrews University’s director of Human Resources. He will begin in this position on August 1, 2018.

Currently, de Leon serves as an assistant vice president for Adventist Health at Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital in California. In this role, de Leon oversees nine departments, where he has led labor and productivity management across the facility to beat budgeted targets. The facility is ranked first among all facilities in the corporation in employee engagement and as a whole scored in the 89th percentile nationwide.

De Leon also spent six years in human resources for Adventist Health facilities, serving in roles including executive director, regional director and human resources & marketing director. Throughout his work, de Leon repeatedly improved HR operations, overseeing compliance and compensation as well as standardizing human resources policies and processes.

Previously, de Leon was employed for ten years with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). His responsibilities led him to live and work internationally in Peru, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Mozambique. De Leon boosted agency funding, oversaw several development programs, increased staff satisfaction and worked with other humanitarian organizations to provide millions of dollars for health improvement among the poor.

He earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix and MSA from Andrews University and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration and Society for Human Resources Management.

“De Leon brings a significant and valuable professional and international perspective that I believe will inspire and strengthen our global Andrews University community of students, faculty and staff,” says Andrea Luxton, president. “As a campus community, we embrace the idea that world changers are made here, and I believe Darcy’s work will play a key role in achieving that commitment.”

De Leon is a dual citizen of Uruguay and the United States; his first language is Spanish and in addition to Spanish and English, he speaks Portuguese. He and his wife Judy, originally from Peru, have two children, Christian and Gabriella.

“I look forward to joining Andrews University’s ministry and, in particular, its commitment to changing the world through our youth and the impact that these Adventist youths can have on the secular world in which we live,” says de Leon.

De Leon replaces Daniel Agnetta who has served as Andrews University’s director of Human Resources since August 2001 and is retiring from his position on July 1, 2018.