| Leon R. Tarver II | |
| President of Southern University | |
| Predecessor: | Dolores Richard Spikes |
| Successor: | Edward Jackson |
| Birth Date: | c. 1948 |
| Birth Place: | Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Southern University Harvard University's John K. Kennedy School of Government The Union Institute |
| Spouse: | Cynthia Tarver |
Leon R. Tarver II (born) is an American academic administrator. He served as the president of Southern University, a public, historically black university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, from 1997 to 2005.
Tarver was born in Shreveport, Louisiana.[1] [2] He attended local schools before college. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Southern University Baton Rouge, a master's of public administration from Harvard University (John K. Kennedy School of Government), and a doctor of philosophy from The Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio.[3]
Tarver joined Southern University as a professor of Public Administration in 1992.[1] He was the executive administrator of SU's Center of Cultural Heritage and International Programs.[4] He served as its president from 1997 to 2005.[1] [4]
In addition, he has worked at international development in Haiti, England, France, and Africa, including Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa.[2] In 2013 Tarver was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Southern University by Governor Bobby Jindal. Since 2015, he has served as the chairman of SU's board.[2]
Tarver was also the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue and Taxation.[1]
Tarver has a wife, Cynthia.[5]