May 04, 2011

Lewis & Clark names Richardson Board Chair

James Richardson BS ’70, JD ’76, has been named the new chair of the Board of Trustees. Richardson replaces Ron Ragen, whose three-year term ended at last week’s Board meeting.

James Richardson BS ’70, JD ’76, has been named the new chair of the Board of Trustees of Lewis & Clark College. Richardson replaces Ron Ragen, whose three-year term ended at last week’s Board meeting.

President Barry Glassner said Richardson’s experience and deep knowledge of Lewis & Clark make him ideally positioned to lead the Board in the coming years.

“In Jim Richardson, we have a longtime leader in both the business and nonprofit worlds, and a double alumnus of Lewis & Clark, who has the skill, experience, and vision to lead the Board,” Glassner said.

In his business career, Richardson currently serves on the boards of several companies, including two listed on NASDAQ and one private company. In previous roles, he has been a company board chair and independent lead director, and he has chaired audit, compensation, and corporate governance committees. Prior to 2001, Mr. Richardson spent 24 years as a senior financial and operating executive with five different high-technology companies. Before his business career, he practiced public accounting and law.

In his nonprofit pursuits, Richardson currently serves as a board member of St. Mary’s Academy and the Oregon Historical Society, and as a member of the Board of Visitors of Lewis & Clark Law School. He has served on Lewis & Clark’s Board of Trustees since 2005.

Richardson graduated from Lewis & Clark in 1970 with a BS in business administration and accounting. He received his M.BA in 1972 from the University of Portland and his JD in 1976 from the Lewis & Clark Law School. He has also attended Directors College at Stanford Law School.

Richardson and his wife, Gaye, reside in Portland. They have one daughter and one son, the latter a Lewis & Clark Law School graduate.

Glassner praised outgoing chair Ron Ragen for his exemplary service. “On behalf of the entire Lewis & Clark community, I thank Ron for his wise, principled, and enthusiastic leadership of our Board,” Glassner said. “I have benefited tremendously from his insight and friendship in this, my first year at Lewis & Clark. It’s good to know he will continue to serve on our Board and remain a vital part of the Lewis & Clark community.”