Leonard Riggio is the founder and chairman of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the parent company of Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, and Doubleday bookstores. Barnes & Noble also operates GameStop (NYSE: GME), the nation's largest operator of video game and entertainment software stores. Mr. Riggio is also the chairman of Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), the number one electronic-commerce site of any retailer on the World Wide Web. In addition, he is the chairman and major shareholder of several privately held companies, including Barnes & Noble College Bookstores, the largest operator of college bookstores in the country, serving more than 400 universities and colleges across America; and MBS Textbook Exchange.

In all, the companies controlled by Mr. Riggio operate more than 2,400 retail stores and employ more than 80,000 people. Today, Barnes & Noble bookstores have become vibrant components of nearly every large and mid-size community in America.

Mr. Riggio also devotes himself to many philanthropic initiatives, having served on nearly two dozen not-for-profit boards.