Diego F. Calderin, President and CEO of Anexinet, to Receive Information Technology Leadership Award from La Salle University, His Alma Mater

Diego F. Calderin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anexinet Corp., will receive La Salle University’s “Information Technology Leadership Award” on October 24 for his contributions to the field.

A 1983 graduate of La Salle, Calderin and his family fled Cuba for the United States in 1961 and had only $50. From this beginning, Calderin has achieved an “American Dream” of arriving here as a political refugee and finding the opportunity to create a better life. At La Salle, he not only earned a college degree but discovered computing, the career direction he would pursue.

Calderin earned a scholarship to La Salle where he planned to study medicine – until a conversation with Dr. Gerri Seitchik, the University’s pre-med adviser, changed his life.

“I had a B average, and she told me that students with an A average weren’t getting into medical school,” Calderin recalled. “She asked me if I was considering graduate school. She did it in a nice way, and her telling me to consider alternatives to medicine was one of the best things that happened to me.”

“On a whim, I took a computer science course that summer and I loved it. I switched my major, and my GPA went up,” he said.

He also took a job in the University’s computer lab, which he also enjoyed. “I was there to help people who had questions, and I was mostly dealing with older students,” he said.

Calderin’s life in American almost didn’t happen.

In 1959 Calderin’s father had planned to leave Cuba and scouted cities in America where he’d like to relocate. He found Philadelphia had the best cost-of-living ratio and made arrangements to move there. He had four visas to leave Cuba, one each for himself, his wife and two children – but then his wife became pregnant with Diego and the family had to wait until he was born and had to apply for a fifth visa. It took a while, but it eventually one was granted.

The family arrived in America as political refugees, and were given $50 by the federal government. That’s about all the family had when they settled in Philadelphia and Calderin’s father found work as a carpenter.

After graduation, Calderin worked in computers for companies such as Lockheed Martin and GE, but considered starting his own business. When he considered the risk he would take, he thought of his father.

“He came to this country with nothing, and when I think of the risk he took, then my risk (at starting a company) would pale by comparison.” In 1999, Calderin founded Acatar Inc., an Internet systems integration firm specializing in database re-purposing, electronic commerce, and digital content integration solutions. In 2000, he co-founded Anexinet and merged Acatar to become a principal and chief technology officer of a new firm combining professional services with technology consulting.

When Calderin became President and Chief Operating Officer of Anexinet in 2002, revenues doubled. Since assuming the roles of President and Chief Executive Officer in 2003, Anexinet has expanded from a Philadelphia-area firm with offices in the New York City region and greater Washington, D.C. area.

According to Margaret McCoey, assistant professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at La Salle, Calderin was nominated for the award based on his professional achievements in the IT field, and his many contributions to La Salle. He is Chairperson of the Integrated Science, Business, and Technology Advisory Board at La Salle and was a contributing member of a board that helped plan and design the program.

“Diego has been very active with the University in a number of capacities,” said McCoey. “He’s also been a leader and innovator in incorporating technology with business, and La Salle’s Computer Science Advisory Board felt he was quite deserving of this honor.”