Eric Weekes has covered many miles in his education and career: from his birthplace of Barbarous, to obtain his Bachelor’s and Master’s in N.Y., to multiple jobs in N.Y., Okla., and Fla. His analytical thinking and his skills in finance have brought him to the University, where he now serves as the Vice President of Business Affairs.
Weekes’ position includes managing the University departments of law, University Technology Services, risk management, construction and maintenance, and human resources. He also has a role as the overseer to University finances.
It’s not an easy job, but Weekes has the experience to back up his skills. For 15 years, Weekes aided the financial department of General Foods, which eventually merged into Kraft-General Foods and is currently known as Kraft Foods Group Inc. Afterward, Weekes stayed for three years as the Treasurer of Illinois Power to help the company understand the competition mindset. Eventually, he made his way to the Sunshine State by becoming the Chief Financial Officer of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for the following decade. Saint Leo was the next stop in Weekes’ career path, and he says that choosing the Vice President position came because of the many attractions of the University:
“The things that attracted me (to the University) were the strength of the leadership, strong values, the focus on performance (and) executing, and on delivering on the promises,” said Weekes.
Weekes is not all work and no play though; he also participates in the volunteer programs of Big Brothers Big Sisters and Rotary International. He enjoys helping others temporarily forget their devastating situations and guiding them toward a better and more prosperous future. Weekes offers this advice to graduate and undergraduate students:
“You won’t go wrong following your passion, and it times time to develop that. You respond to things that you learn. That will often lead to success. Find out what is required to be successful in that (job/goal), so people will see you and you will be noticed as successful.”
