Mr. NSU. That moniker was given to Rick Latta by NSU President George L. Hanbury, and he wears it proudly. Latta became involved with the university when one of his daughters, Brooke Latta, attended NSU’s Shepard Broad College of Law and became president of the student government. She asked her parents to volunteer at special events, and they happily hung banners and worked event check-in counters to support her efforts. Rick Latta’s contributions to the university have grown exponentially since then.

“The main reason I’m so connected to the university is because I saw what it did for my daughter,” Latta said. “I feel as though I’m part of the NSU family, no question. I was honored by President Hanbury as Mr. NSU. For me to get that title was the cherry on top of everything.”

For the past decade, Latta has been a member of the NSU Levan Ambassadors Board. He has served on the Ambassadors Board executive committee as membership chair and helps select the C-suite business professionals and community leaders who support and represent the university in the community. In addition, Latta serves on the board of governors for the Shepard Broad College of Law (NSU Law). He is also the development chair for the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (NSU MD) Executive Leadership Council, sits on the dean’s development council for the NSU Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, and recently accepted a position on the NSU Campaign to Preeminence leadership cabinet.

“I have a lot of passion for the university, and truthfully, I’m just having a really good time,” Latta said. “In life, how often do you get a chance to look at yourself in the mirror and say you’re doing a good job there? That’s how I feel about my role at NSU. I really have stepped forward. I’ve really delivered at the university, and I’m proud of my accomplishments.”

In 2021, NSU nominated Latta for the National Philanthropy Day Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year award presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Fort Lauderdale/Broward Chapter. He won.

In addition to being a Fellows Society member with his wife Tava, Latta is responsible for significant gifts made to the university through the Ambassadors Board, as well as through the Cornerstone Society at NSU MD. He has championed the need for scholarship support at NSU, and his advocacy has secured many donations for that purpose.

A successful wealth adviser and financial planner in Broward County, Latta serves as the chief executive officer for Weston Financial Advisors. He is committed to removing barriers to education and quality health care for individuals of all socioeconomic backgrounds. His philanthropic efforts also focus on social and legal justice, military affairs, and ocean conservation. He and his wife support numerous organizations, including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Feed the Children, and NSU. Latta describes himself as “a doer” and encourages others to learn and get involved on more than just a financial level.

“Whenever you give money to a cause, you want to make sure that money is going to be well used. Everybody who gives to NSU should know that the dollars that are given are carefully considered in terms of the best impact those dollars are going to have,” Latta said. “But there’s another tremendous benefit that everybody should remember, and that’s the opportunity to learn and get involved as much as possible.”

The Ambassadors Board provides one such opportunity for Latta as he learns about the growth and new initiatives for the university at the monthly meetings. He also recently visited the Tropic Star Lodge in Panama, which partners with NSU on the Eastern Tropical Seascape Research Project. During this once-in-a-lifetime trip, Latta enjoyed the opportunity to fish, tagging and releasing marlin, billfish, sailfish, and mahi-mahi unlike anything he’s seen off the coast of Florida.

Latta has committed to continuing to work with NSU. Through the Campaign to Preeminence, he hopes to help the university capitalize on the growth and momentum it is currently experiencing in order to benefit the people, like his daughter, who turn to NSU for higher education.

“We used to say NSU is Broward’s best-kept secret, but I’m not sure it’s a secret anymore, because it’s getting a lot of recognition,” he said.  “Everything we do is for the students at NSU. We raise money so we can have a better program, better teachers, better buildings, better everything for the students.”

For more information on how to support the NSU Campaign to Preeminence, please contact Shannon Wayte, executive director of advancement, at (954) 262-2179