Joe Higgins
President of the Board
Joe Higgins is a serial entrepreneur, COO, and CEO.
As one of the founders and CEO of Leman Academy of Excellence, Joe is the driving force who put together the team members and focuses on all aspects of operations, expansion, and regulation.
Over the past 20 years, Joe has founded and grown over a dozen businesses in multiple fields. He served as COO of a medical practice which grew from four to fourteen medical providers with a staff of 80. Joe spent two years as a turn-around CEO of a high complexity medical laboratory with full-service microbiology, chemistry, and hematology division and a staff of 34.
Outside of the medical field, Joe has been a serial entrepreneur with startups ranging from a chain of twelve cell phone stores in Arizona and New Mexico and a chain of nine hair cut stores in Tucson. Joe has over 15 startups under his belt including a trash company, developer of a retail center on Tucson’s west side, an outdoor advertising company, and medical practice service company.
Joe serves on the Arizona Chamber of Commerce’s Health Policy and Workforce and Education Committees and successfully passed an Arizona bill aimed at bringing more free-market principals into the health care industry.
Joe is married to Chris Higgins and they have two kids, a daughter, and son.
Community Involvement
Arizona Small Business Association – Past Board President of 40 years old, 11,000 member business associations based in Phoenix with offices in Tucson and Flagstaff. ASBA is Arizona’s largest trade association.
Catholic Community Services – VP Board Member for 6 years of a $35m social service agency.
Salpointe Catholic High School – Board Member of a 60-year-old, 1100 student private high school in Tucson Arizona – Executive Committee – 10-year member.
Pima County Board of Supervisors – Candidate for public office 2008 – lost in the primary. Columnist and morning drive talk radio host for 7 years.
Tucson Chamber Of Commerce –2004 Small Business Leader of the Year
Arizona Daily Star –2005 40 Under 40 inaugural honoree.
Business Leader of the Year – Arizona 2008 – Marketing – ASBA
Boards & Commissions
Banner Health – Institutional Review Board – Member – Current
City of Tucson Boards – Member and or past chair of the Small Business Commission, Environmental Services Committee, Sign Code Committee.
Association of Clinical Review Professionals – Former Chapter VP – Tucson Chapter
Arizona Medical Education Task Force – Appointed by Governor Brewer to oversee formation and merger of a public-private hospital group. UMC, Kino and UofA College of Medicine.