Current Position and Past Experience
Richard Ekman currently serves as the President of the Council of Independent Colleges. Previously, Ekman was with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation where he served as Vice President for Programs of Atlantic Philanthropy and, prior to that, as a Senior Program Officer. From 1982 until 1991, he was at the National Endowment for the Humanities, successively as director of the Division of Education Programs and the Division of Research Programs.

Ekman’s previous experience includes service as vice president and dean of Hiram College, where he was also a tenured member of the history faculty; and assistant to the provost at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

Education, Honors and Achievements
Ekman has been awarded honorary degrees by Alvernia, Otterbein, and Marywood Universities, and Alderson-Broaddus, Bethany, Georgetown, Hastings, and Ursinus Colleges, and is a recipient of the W.E.B DuBois Medal of Harvard University.

Personal Details and Community Involvement
Ekman currently serves as a member of many boards, including those that provide guidance to the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, Harvard University’s Library and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, American Academic Leadership Institute, American Council on Education, the Hollings Center for International Dialogue, and the Dictionary of American Regional English.