Tom Ridge, the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania and first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will be the featured speaker at the 22nd R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues at Missouri Western State University at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015. The Convocation in the M.O. Looney Complex is free and open to the public.
“There are few issues more critical than security and terrorism, and few people better equipped to speak to those issues than Tom Ridge,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “I think our Convocation audience will be inspired by his story. Mr. Ridge was raised in veterans’ public housing in Erie, Pennsylvania, earned a scholarship to Harvard, earned a Bronze Star in Vietnam, and graduated from Dickinson School of Law before being elected to Congress in 1982. After 12 years in office, he served two terms as governor of Pennsylvania. His long career of public service culminated in working to establish the Department of Homeland Security, so he is intimately familiar both with the practical nature of the threat that terrorism poses and the political forces that can impact our response to that threat. I’m really looking forward to hearing what he has to say.”
In addition to the Convocation, Ridge will be the guest of honor at the annual Convocation Luncheon at noon Sept. 15 in the Fulkerson Center. Ticket and sponsorship information for the luncheon will be announced at a later date.
Missouri Western inaugurated the R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues program in 1993. The program was started as part of an overall commitment to offer enriching experiences to students while bringing together the college and community. The Convocation is held in honor of R. Dan Boulware, former president of the Board of Regents. Previous Convocation speakers include: Bill Bradley, David Brinkley, James Carville & Mary Matalin, Sam Donaldson, Steve Forbes, Thomas Friedman, David Gergen, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Newt Gingrich, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jeane Kirkpatrick, Jerry Linenger, David McCullough, Joseph Nye, T. Boone Pickens, Colin Powell, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Daniel Schorr, Patricia Schroeder, J. C. Watts and Bob Woodward.
Tom Ridge is the president and CEO of Ridge Global. As the company’s chief executive, Ridge leads a team of international experts that help businesses and governments address a range of needs throughout their organizations, including risk management, global trade security, emergency preparedness and response, strategic growth, infrastructure protection, technology integration, crisis management and other issues that encompass a diverse portfolio. He also serves as a partner at Ridge-Schmidt Cyber, a cybersecurity firm, founded with former White House Cybersecurity Advisor Howard A. Schmidt.
Following the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, Ridge became the first Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and, on January 24, 2003, became the first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The creation of the country’s 15th Cabinet Department marked the largest reorganization of government since the Truman administration and another call to service for the former soldier, congressman and governor of Pennsylvania.
During his tenure, Ridge worked with more than 180,000-plus employees from a combined 22 agencies to create an agency that facilitated the flow of people and goods, instituted layered security at air, land and seaports, developed a unified national response and recovery plan, protected critical infrastructure, integrated new technology and improved information sharing worldwide. Ridge served as Secretary of this historic and critical endeavor until February 1, 2005.
Before the events of September 11th, Ridge was twice elected Governor of Pennsylvania. He served as the state’s 43rd governor from 1995 to 2001. Known for his commitment to high standards and results, Ridge delivered on his promise to make Pennsylvania “a leader among states and a competitor among nations.” Ridge’s aggressive technology strategy helped fuel the state’s advances in economic development, education, health care and the environment.
Born in Pittsburgh’s Steel Valley, Ridge was raised in a working-class family in veterans’ public housing in Erie. He earned a scholarship to Harvard, graduating with honors in 1967. After his first year at Penn State University’s Dickinson School of Law, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star for Valor, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. After returning to Pennsylvania and to Dickinson, he earned his law degree and was in private practice before becoming assistant district attorney in Erie County.
Ridge was elected to Congress in 1982. He was one of the first Vietnam combat veterans elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and was overwhelmingly re-elected by Pennsylvania voters five times.
An engaging and dynamic speaker, Ridge regularly addresses audiences throughout the world on issues, such as security, terrorism, global engagement, leadership, technology and more. Additionally, the first U.S. secretary of Homeland Security serves on the boards of the Institute for Defense Analyses, the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress and other private and public entities, and since 2005, has served as chairman of the National Organization on Disability. Ridge continues to contribute to matters concerning our nation’s veterans and, along with Gen. Tommy Franks (Ret.), serves as national co-chairman of the Flight 93 Memorial Fundraising Campaign.
Throughout his public and private sector career, Ridge has received numerous honors, including the Woodrow Wilson Award, the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Dwight D. Eisenhower Award, the John F. Kennedy National Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the American Bar Association’s John Marshall Award, the National Guard’s Harry S. Truman Award, the Pennsylvania Wildlife Federation’s Conservationist of the Year Award, U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce’s Good Neighbor Award, the American Cancer Society’s prestigious National Medal of Honor, the Mister Rogers Award, the Champion of Public Television Award, the Intrepid Freedom Award and the Esperanza Leadership Award. Ridge has also been awarded honorary degrees and awards from many national and international academic institutions.
Ridge and his wife, Michele, have two children.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.