Derek J. Leathers, 54, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Werner Enterprises. Leathers has over 30 years of experience in the transportation and logistics industry and 25 years of experience with Werner.
Throughout his tenure at Werner, he has held integral executive management roles leading multiple organizational service offerings, including the establishment and development of Werner’s Mexico cross-border operations, oversight for the asset operating groups and leading the launch of Werner Global Logistics, which encompassed transportation management and freight movement within intermodal, ocean, air and brokerage.
In May of 2021, Werner’s Board of Directors appointed Leathers to Chairman, along with his current title of CEO. He also serves as Chairman of the American Transportation Research Institute, is a board member for the American Trucking Associations and is on the Executive Board of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, among others.
Leathers is the Founder and National Director of PlaySmart, a non-profit organization that helps underserved 5th through 8th-grade students realize their academic and life potential through sports.
Prior to joining Werner in 1999, Leathers was one of the first foreign members of Mexico's trucking association and was based out of Mexico City for several years. Leathers holds an economics degree from Princeton University.