Henry E. Riggs (President Emeritus)
Founding President, KGI
Henry E. “Hank” Riggs was the founder and first president of Keck Graduate Institute, serving as president until 2003. An entrepreneur, professor, writer, and higher education leader, Riggs founded KGI as the seventh Claremont College based on his vision that life sciences would dominate the 21st century and that new institutions were needed to educate future leaders in this field. Before founding KGI in 1997, Riggs served as president of Harvey Mudd College for nine years.
Riggs worked in Silicon Valley in the 1960s, serving as president of Icore Industries and chief financial officer of Measurex Corporation. He then moved into teaching, returning to Stanford University as a full-time faculty member in 1974. In 1980, he received Stanford's highest award for excellence in teaching (the Walter J. Gores Award).
Riggs graduated from Stanford University in 1957 and from Harvard Business School in 1960.