Tom Curley became president and chief executive officer of The Associated Press on June 1, 2003. He is the 12th person to lead the AP since its founding in 1848. Under Curley's leadership, the AP is evolving from a wire service to an interactive global news network geared to meet the content needs and marketplace demands of members and customers worldwide. Curley was previously president and publisher of USA Today, the nation's largest-selling daily newspaper. Since 1998 he was also senior vice president of the newspaper's owner, Gannett Co., Inc., publisher of 100 daily newspapers in the United States. Curley holds a political science degree from Philadelphia's La Salle University and a master's degree in business administration from Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a vice chairman of the boards at both schools.