Richard Kriegbaum

Dr. Richard Kriegbaum, President Emeritus of Fresno Pacific University, has been a speaker or consultant on leadership, followership, planning, and governance for over 170 organizations, including as a Carnegie Foundation marketing consultant. He taught and coached in Christian and public schools, including Grace College (IN) before 17 years in faculty and administrative roles at Wheaton College (IL). He then served 17 years at Fresno Pacific University, including twice as President for 15 years total, before and after being president of a regional United Way for 8 years. He has served on 13 boards of local, regional, and national for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including three publishing companies, with 10 years on the Board of Reference of Christianity Today.

He earned a BA with high honor from Wheaton College (with some soccer and a lot of track and field), an MA from Ball State University in Spanish, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from State University of New York at Buffalo. He currently teaches online graduate courses in Music and the Brain, Ethics of Technology, and Children of Divorce.

He has authored a dozen published articles and book chapters and two books. Leadership Prayers (Tyndale 1998) has become a classic for Christians in a wide variety of roles, situations, and cultures with more than 100,000 copies including the Indonesian, Spanish, and Korean editions. Heads and Tails: Following and Leading in Kingdom-Formed Organizations (Invite 2023) provides a practical framework for achieving true organizational effectiveness with fully interdependent following and leading that makes “the Kingdom of God your primary concern,” as Jesus instructed (Luke 12:31). Each chapter ends with a meditation, a prayer, and Questions and Issues to stimulate related discussion. It is used in business, management, social work, church-based education and program development, and undergrad and graduate courses.

When he is not reading, writing, speaking, grading, working on the house or garden, praying, sharing in church life, working out, or sleeping, he shares in the activities of his wife Peggi and their 17 children, grands, and great grands.