Founder/Chief Executive Officer – DeBartolo Holdings, LLC

Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DeBartolo Holdings, LLC. DeBartolo Holdings is the parent organization, founded in March 2002 by Mr. DeBartolo Jr. to manage and optimize the diversified businesses and strategic investments of the DeBartolo family.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Mr. DeBartolo Jr. began his career with the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation in 1971. In his various executive capacities, he was responsible for overseeing one of the nation’s largest mall development and management firms.

Throughout his diverse career, Mr. DeBartolo, Jr., has proven his ability not only to succeed, but to reinvent the industries within which he operates. He is best known as the legendary owner of the San Francisco 49ers during the winningest decade in football history. During his 23-year ownership and management of the team, the 49ers won 12 division titles and an NFL-record five Super Bowl Championships – Super Bowl XVI (1981), Super Bowl XIX (’84), Super Bowl XXIII (’88), Super Bowl XXIV (’89) and Super Bowl XXIX (’94). To help accomplish these amazing feats, in 1979 Mr. DeBartolo made one of his most visionary decisions ever by hiring head coach Bill Walsh, who later went on to revolutionize football with the development of the “West Coast Offense” and earn a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame.

Known by many simply as “Mr. D,” he earned a reputation among his coaches, players and front office staff as the most generous owner in NFL history. Regarded as one of the nation’s top sports executives, he was honored by Football News as its 1989 NFL Man of the Year. In 2008, Mr. DeBartolo Jr. was the first non-athlete or coach to be inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame for his “extraordinary impact on the sports history of the Bay Area.” He was also inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 1994, Mr. DeBartolo Jr. became Chairman of the Board of the DeBartolo Realty Corporation, a public REIT. Two years later, the Corporation merged with Simon Property Group to create Simon DeBartolo Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG), uniting two of the founding families of the regional mall business and creating the largest public real estate company in North America with a total market capitalization of $7.5 billion. The DeBartolo/Simon portfolio included 111 regional shopping centers, 66 community shopping center and six specialty retail centers in 32 states with combine sales of $16 billion.

In every stage of his multifaceted career, Mr. DeBartolo Jr. has found ways to make the community a priority in his professional endeavors. From his involvement in founding organizations such as the Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School that cater to underserved youth “who demonstrate high academic potential but without interventions may not realize that potential” to his innumerable contributions and hours devoted to worthy causes such as St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the United Way, the Salvation Army and many more. In 1989, the DeBartolo family donated $33 million to Notre Dame – one of the largest single contributions to higher education in U.S history. Mr. DeBartolo’s charitable efforts have made a transformative impact in the lives of countless students, families, athletes, animals and disabled citizens across the country.

Born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, Mr. DeBartolo resides in Tampa, Fla., with his wife Candy. They have three adult daughters, Lisa Marie, Tiffanie Lynne, Nicole Anne and grandsons, Asher, Milo and Jasper.