John Richardson, President Emeritus

Mr. Richardson has been a World War II paratrooper, Wall Street lawyer (Sullivan & Cromwell) and investment banker (Paine Webber), CEO of Radio Free Europe, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational & Cultural Affairs, CEO of Youth for Understanding (home-stay exchanges for high school students), founding staff member of the U.S. Institute of Peace, founding board member and Chair of the National Endowment for Democracy, and board member of many other educational and service organizations.
He currently serves on the board of the Council for a Community of Democracies, the International Rescue Committee, American Forum for Global Education, the Social Science Foundation at the University of Denver, and World Learning.
He is a graduate of Harvard College and Law School. He has been married for 60 years to Thelma Ingram Richardson. They have five daughters, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.