Richard Kriegbaum

Dr. Rich Kriegbaum (1941- )

Author, speaker, consultant, and former university president, Dr. Rich Kriegbaum is a teacher at heart. He has helped thousands of people view their personal and organizational realities in new ways and apply powerful principles of leading, following, managing, and changing to improve their performance and fulfillment. His book Leadership Prayers is a resource of leadership insights and spiritual encouragement for the inner life of people who have accepted the challenges of wise and effective leading and following. He loves sharing in the improvement of personal and organizational effectiveness.

Rich has been a speaker or consultant on leadership, followership, planning, marketing, governance, and prayer for 170 organizations and churches. After 17 years in various faculty and administrative roles at Wheaton College, he was President of Fresno Pacific University two different times for a total of 15 years, and President of United Way of Fresno for 8 years.

He wrote the Leadership Prayers immediately after completing his first tenure as President of FPU. One of his last public presentations as President was a seminar on leadership for community business leaders and graduate students headed into leadership. He shared and contextualized a handful of simple prayers that he had used consistently during his presidency. Soon after he was approached by an acquisitions representative of Tyndale House Publishers to develop the Leadership Prayers with an illustrative Reflection for each one. The book has remained in print unchanged since 1998 when it was first published.

After his early years among the fields and streams of eastern Iowa where his Dad was a pastor, his teen years were in the Warsaw, IN area where his Dad was a publishing executive and later dean of students at Grace College (IN). His mother taught English and French in the local high school and made sure he knew how to diagram a sentence in either language. He played football for four years in high school and for two weeks in college before he was overcome by a compelling vision of self preservation. He sold his first article while in high school.

He works from home in the small town of Kingsburg, CA, a half hour drive from Fresno Pacific University where his wife Peggi is an administrator, and where he enjoys student athletic and music events.

In addition to writing and speaking, he enjoys growing and eating organic fruits and vegetables, working out, and a daily dish of ice cream. He and Peggi share three married children, and a lot of love, music, laughter, prayer, mutual support, church, and grandparenting. He can sing from memory the first stanza of the Indiana state song, and sometimes does so with the slightest justification.

EDUCATION

PhD Higher Education, State University of New York/Buffalo, 1976

Dissertation: A Typology of Boards of Trustees of Private Colleges

MA Spanish, Ball State University (IN), 1966

BA Spanish, Wheaton College (IL), 1963, with High Honor, track, soccer.

CAREER POSITIONS

2014-2017 Fresno Pacific University, President

2011-2012 Fresno Pacific University, Interim Dean, School of Business

2008-2018 Author, speaker, consultant.

1999-2007 United Way of Fresno County (CA), President

1997-1999 One by One Leadership, Fresno, CA, Director of Administration

1985-1997 Fresno Pacific University (CA), President

1984-1985 Fresno Pacific University, Vice-President Administration

1979-1984 Wheaton College (IL), Director of Planning and Marketing

1976-1979 Wheaton College, Director of Data Processing & Research

1967-1976 Wheaton College, Associate Professor of Foreign Language

1966-1967 Grace College (IN), Asst. Professor of Spanish & Soccer Coach

1965-1966 Warsaw High School, Warsaw, IN, French Teacher

1964-1965 Warsaw Christian School, Warsaw, IN, Sixth Grade Teacher

BOARD MEMBERSHIPS

2012-2014 LeadHer

2002-2012 CORAL, Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning

2005-2007 IPM, Investors Precision Manufacturing

2002-2005 CAIRS, California Alliance of Information and Referral Services

1999-2003 Saint Agnes Medical Center Board Mission and HR Committee

1995-1997 Fresno Leadership Foundation

1994-1996 NAIA, Council of Presidents Executive Committee

1992-1994 Foundation for Independent Higher Education

1988-1991 Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities

1987-1990 Mennonite Brethren Board of Literature

1985-1995 Resource Scholars, Christianity Today Institute

1980-1995 Scripture Press Publications Inc.

1971-1976 Board of Trustees, Grace College and Seminary