Group 5
Richard (Dick) was born and raised in small town in Illinois. He enlisted and served four years of active duty in the U.S. Navy. He joined IBM in Illinois as a Customer Engineer and moved east where he spent 29 years in several positions, including Engineering, Finance, Services Development, Human Resources, Field Operations US and Business Development. He retired as an IBM Vice President.
Dick, with his wife Pam, moved to Canada in 1995 to become President and CEO of Gandalf Technologies, a high tech. networking company, developing, manufacturing and marketing internet routers in fourteen countries.
Two years later Dick moved to Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida and his son Andrew was born. Andrew has autism and Dick and Pam have been very active by volunteering at the Renaissance Learning Center (RLC), a local charter school serving children with autism ages three to fourteen. He is a founder of the Renaissance Learning Academy (RLA), a charter high school serving students with an autism spectrum disorder which opened in August, 2009. Dick is also the President of the Autism Project of Palm Beach County (APPBC), a grass roots, non profit, local organization raising funds to assist individuals with autism and their families. APPBC is partnering with the Els for Autism Foundation to build a Center of Excellence in Palm Beach County that will serve all individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The center will house both RLC and RLA charter schools as well as provide adult services, and transitional housing assistance for anyone on the autism spectrum.