David Edmondson

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David J. Edmondson (born 1960) is an American businessman who was the chief executive officer and President of RadioShack, one of the largest retailers of consumer electronics. In February 2006, Edmondson resigned his position at RadioShack after it was revealed that he had lied about his academic record on his résumé. [1] He is a longtime resident of Southlake, Texas.

[edit] Family life and education

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Edmondson grew up in South Carolina and Colorado. His father was an Army drill sergeant.

Edmondson attended Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in San Dimas, California for two semesters during 1977-1978, leaving before he earned a college degree. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the résumé used by Edmondson, when hired at RadioShack in 1994, contained inaccurate information relating to his college degree. It exaggerated his academic record, stating that he earned bachelor degrees from Pacific Coast Baptist College in theology and psychology, [2] despite PCBC having never offered a psychology program. Upon the discovery of the misstatement, Edmondson had initially persisted with the fraud by stating that the content of his résumé was correct, but was ultimately forced to admit that it was not.

Edmondson and his wife Debra married in 1979. He and Debra have three children and live in Southlake, Texas. Debra is a local politician and served on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Tarrant County, Texas Family Court records show that Edmondson and his wife filed for divorce in February 2006. [3]

According to reporting by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Edmondson has been charged with three alcohol related traffic offences from 1988 to 2005. In 1988, he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and acquitted. In July 2000, Edmondson was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas and the offense was reduced to obstruction of a highway. And in January 2005 Edmondson was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. [4]

[edit] Career

Leaving Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in 1979, Edmondson worked as a Baptist pastor in Colorado and Nebraska. Eventually he was employed by ADVO Inc., a database and direct marketing firm that worked with RadioShack. He worked there for 11 years in a variety of sales and marketing roles. In 1996, Edmondson was recognized by Advertising Age as one of the Top 100 marketers in the United States based on his work at ADVO. [5]

In 1994, Edmondson joined the RadioShack management team. By 1998, he advanced to the position of senior vice president of RadioShack Corporation, having served in the position of executive vice president/chief operating officer of the RadioShack Retail Division and senior vice president of Advertising and Marketing. In 2000, Edmondson was promoted to president and chief operating officer. While at RadioShack, he was responsible for negotiating and implementing several strategic partnerships, including those with Sprint, Hewlett-Packard, Verizon Wireless, Cingular Wireless, T-Mobile and Sam's Club.

In January 2005, the RadioShack board of directors made Edmondson chief executive officer effective May 2005. Edmondson was also elected to the board. In February 2006, after nine months in the job, Edmondson officially resigned as CEO of RadioShack due to media reports of his exaggerated academic record. Edmondson will receive a cash payout worth at least $1.03 million, the company said in a February 21 regulatory filing. Edmondson will begin receiving four quarterly payments, totaling $975,000. He also will receive $57,692 for accrued, unpaid vacation, plus an undisclosed amount for accrued and unpaid salary. [6].

Edmondson has served as a board member of Advanced Micro Devices, Texas Christian University's AddRan College, Fort Worth Cook Children's Health Foundation, the Women's Center in Fort Worth, and Van Cliburn Foundation. [7]

[edit] External links