Former Arizona State University executive leader brings deep higher education and business background to Cintana Education’s global university network.
TEMPE – May 5, 2020 – Today, Cintana Education announced that Arizona State University leader R. F. “Rick” Shangraw, Jr. will join Cintana Education’s executive team as president.
“Rick brings a unique set of skills, drawing on his deep experience both in higher education and in business,” said Cintana Education founder and chairman Douglas Becker. “The urgency for our work is felt around the globe in light of the pandemic. The addition of Rick will enable us to accelerate our impact, and help institutions around the globe rise to meet the very real need to transform higher education.”
Shangraw joins Cintana Education after serving almost 15 years in a variety of executive positions at Arizona State University (ASU). Among his many roles, Shangraw served as Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation, where he was responsible for doubling in ASU research expenditures. Most recently he was CEO of ASU Enterprise Partners, where he oversaw $1.5 billion of assets on behalf of ASU and focused on generating diversified sources of revenue for the university. He also served as CEO of the ASU Foundation, where he launched ASU’s largest comprehensive fundraising campaign that has now brought in over $2 billion in gifts to ASU. He will retain his position at ASU as a Professor of Practice in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. Prior to ASU, Shangraw was the founder and CEO of Project Performance Corporation (PPC), a management and technology consulting firm based in Northern Virginia. Shangraw started his career as an assistant professor at Syracuse University.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the Cintana Education team and to have the opportunity to work closely with Doug Becker,” remarked Shangraw. “Cintana’s partnership with ASU to empower a new network of universities around the globe to achieve both scale and quality is truly visionary. Improving quality, access and affordability of higher education will be even more important as countries rebuild and recover from the current pandemic.”
Shangraw holds a B.A., magnum cum laude, in political science and a certificate in environmental studies from Dickinson College; a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University; and a Ph.D. in public administration from the Maxwell School, with a specialization in technology and information policy and organization design.
ASU President Michael Crow added, “Rick is an excellent addition to the Cintana leadership team. His knowledge of the higher education landscape will help accelerate Cintana’s ability to scale access to high-quality educational opportunities for more learners and stimulate the potential for global social and economic change.”
Media Contact: Jenna Talbot, jenna@whiteboardadvisors.com, 760.390.6978