Richard T. Ingram

Richard (Tom) Ingram is president emeritus of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), having served as president for 13 years, through 2005, and previously as executive vice president for 18 years. He is a consultant, facilitator, speaker, and writer on nonprofit directorship and academic trusteeship whose focus includes comprehensive governance reviews, board self-study workshops, presidential and board performance reviews, bylaw revision, and executive coaching.

Tom serves on the boards of trustees of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Higher Education (CASE), based in Washington, D.C., London, and Singapore, and Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania.  He previously served on the boards of two private colleges, an independent secondary school for girls, a higher education association, a multiple-employer health insurance company, and a mutual liability insurance company, where he was a founding director. 

In addition to facilitating workshops with the boards and chief executives of nearly 200 colleges, universities, and independent schools, Tom has worked with scores of national nonprofit organizations including the Bush Foundation, American Institute of Architects, National Symphony Orchestra, and the American Hospital Association. He has worked with educational and other organizations in Bolivia, Canada, Spain, Mexico, South Africa, Japan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

His publication, Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards, for BoardSource in Washington, D.C., has sold more than 150,000 copies.  In addition to his several books and pamphlets on college and university trusteeship published by Jossey-Bass and the Association of Governing Boards, he has written articles for CASE Currents, Educational Record, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Trusteeship magazine. 

Tom held various positions at the University of Maryland, taught public school, and served as an adjunct instructor for the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Southern California.  An officer with the United States Army from 1969-71, he served as director of admissions and personnel for the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) Preparatory School and as an operations research officer in Vietnam.

A native of Western Pennsylvania, Tom earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, his master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and his doctorate in higher education from the University of Maryland, College Park.  In 2006, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Mitchell College (New London, Conn.).