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Richard Skinner

Senior Consultant

Dr. Skinner served as President at two institutions in the United States and in Canada, after which he held the position of Senior Vice President, Programs & Research at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) assisting the governing and coordinating boards of universities, colleges and affiliated foundations.

Prior to joining AGB, from 2002 to 2006, Skinner served as President and Vice Chancellor of Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia, and provided leadership to that institution’s initiatives in China and Southeast Asia.

Before moving to Canada, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of a pioneering unit of the University System of Georgia charged with marketing and coordinating the distance learning offerings of 34 colleges and universities. This appointment followed his Presidency of Clayton State University in metropolitan Atlanta, where Skinner led the largest deployment of mobile computing at the time in American higher education and initiated a major public-private partnership focused in real estate development adjacent to the Clayton campus. Prior to those posts, he served successfully as a faculty member and in a succession of academic administrative roles, including chief academic officer.

As President, he served on the boards of an independent college, a bank, two hospitals, a start-up technology firm, numerous national, state and community organizations and commissions, and major research projects focused on improving diversity and the roles of the arts and humanities in K-12 education. While the use of technology has been a centerpiece of his work, Skinner has written for both lay and academic audiences on the topics of international education, the role of higher education in economic and community development and, most recently, the interaction of faculty and governing boards in colleges and universities.

Throughout his career, Dr. Skinner has consulted widely with both public and independent colleges and universities, education ministries and institutions in the Bahamas, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Uganda, and China and spoken before audiences throughout the United States and around the world. 
 
Dr. Skinner earned a Ph.D. and Master’s in Government and International Studies from the University of South Carolina, with additional study at the University of Michigan and the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. He was recognized by his undergraduate alma mater, Georgia Southern University, as its 1997 Distinguished Alumnus. In 1991 his work in bringing together business, industry, K-12 schools and higher education led to the Association of American State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) presenting the Christa McAuliffe Excellence Award to Lander University for influencing state policy on teacher education.

Richard Skinner
Harris Search Associates - an IIC Partners member firm, is a leading global higher education executive search and board advisory consulting firm with 44 offices in 33 countries worldwide. Our higher education executive search practice is focused on identifying and attracting leaders to support the growth of clients in the areas of research, science, engineering, academic medicine, and healthcare enterprises. Clients include the foremost universities, research parks, institutes, academic medical centers, and healthcare organizations driving global innovation and discovery.