Dr. R.F. “Rick” Shangraw Jr., is the chief executive officer of the ASU Foundation for A New American University. Prior to joining the foundation in October 2011, he served as ASU’s senior vice president for the Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development and director of the Global Institute of Sustainability. As senior vice president for OKED he was responsible for ASU’s growing annual $350 million research portfolio, which placed ASU among the top 20 research institutions in the country without medical schools. As director of the Global Institute of Sustainability, Shangraw oversaw the institute’s research, education and problem-solving initiatives, with a special focus on urban environments.
Since taking the helm as the foundation CEO, Shangraw has directed a team of more than 100 fundraising professionals that has generated nearly $400 million in new investments and commitments in support of ASU. In addition, for two consecutive years (2012, 2013), the foundation has been awarded the premier four-star rating from Charity Navigator, the country’s largest and most respected evaluator of nonprofit organizations.
Shangraw serves on the boards of several programs and institutes, including the McCain Institute for International Leadership, the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and The Sustainability Consortium, and he chairs the board of directors of the ASU Foundation’s Arizona Technology Enterprises.
Before joining ASU he was founder and CEO of Project Performance Corporation, a research and technology consulting firm specializing in environmental, energy and information management issues. During his tenure, PPC received the Inc. 500 Award for being one of the fastest-growing, privately-held companies in the United States.
He has a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in political science and a certificate in environmental studies from Dickinson College; a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University; and a doctorate from the Maxwell School, with a specialization in technology and information policy and organization design.
Currently, Shangraw holds professor of practice appointments with ASU’s School of Public Affairs within the College of Public Programs and the School of Sustainability.