RAPID CITY, SD--(Marketwired - Oct 17, 2014) - National American University Holdings, Inc. (the "Company") (NASDAQ: NAUH), which through its wholly owned subsidiary operates National American University, a regionally accredited, proprietary, multi-campus institution of higher learning, today announced that James A. Rowan was elected to join its Board of Directors as an independent director at the Company's annual meeting on October 7, 2014. With the addition of Mr. Rowan, the Company's Board of Directors is now at eight members.

Ronald L. Shape, Ed.D., Chief Executive Officer of the Company, stated, "We are pleased to have Jim join the Company's Board of Directors. We believe his extensive experience in finance and investment banking, particularly as they relate to the education space, will prove valuable to our company. We look forward to working closely with Jim and benefiting from his counsel as NAU continues to grow in the years ahead."

Mr. Rowan currently serves as Senior Advisor and Education Group Head at Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated ("Stifel Nicolaus"), a full-service investment banking firm recognized as a leader within the education sector. In 1993, Mr. Rowan joined Legg Mason Capital Markets, which was subsequently acquired by Stifel Nicolaus, and played an integral part in developing the firm's significant investment banking role in the proprietary education and training industries. Prior to this, Mr. Rowan was a venture capitalist for six years and prior to that was a senior financial executive at ITT Corporation and City Investing Company, based in New York and London. 

A graduate of The Lawrenceville School, he received a bachelor's degree in economics from Cornell University and an MBA in Finance from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell. Mr. Rowan is a trustee of Waynesburg University, a member of its Nominating Committee and Chairman of its Finance and Property Committee, and is on the Financial Advisory Council of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities. He remains active in alumni affairs at Lawrenceville and Cornell, where he is on the Dean's Leadership Committee for the Johnson School.

About National American University Holdings, Inc.

National American University Holdings, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, operates National American University ("NAU"), a regionally accredited, proprietary, multi-campus institution of higher learning offering associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in technical and professional disciplines. Accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, NAU has been providing technical and professional career education since 1941. NAU opened its first campus in Rapid City, South Dakota, and has since grown to multiple locations throughout the United States. In 1998, NAU began offering online courses. Today, NAU offers degree programs in traditional, online, and hybrid formats, which provide students increased flexibility to take courses at times and places convenient to their busy lifestyles.