Lew Riggs, Ed.D.
Executive Director
Tucson Osteopathic Medical Foundation

Vital Stats: Married; born Indianapolis, Indiana on April 1, 1937; two step children, two grandchildren.

First or Most Interesting Job: First job was as a contract administrator, TRW Systems, Redondo, Beach, CA. Entered association management from there in Phoenix and then to the staff of the University of Arizona College of Medicine followed by some hospital stints.

Your Path to Philanthropy: This is my most interesting job, one I have held for 20 years. The TOMF is a conversion foundation. My path to philanthropy came with the sale of Tucson General Hospital which created the TOMF. The Board was looking for someone with association experience (I am CAE accredited by the American Society of Association Executives), familiarity with working with physicians and an understanding of both medicine and higher education since the Foundation is deeply involved in medical education. I hold a doctorate in higher education administration and an MBA from The George Washington University.

When I took the job I credit John Murphy at the Flinn Foundation for giving me a crash course in foundation management and both he and Bill Read have been enormously helpful over the years.

The Tucson Osteopathic Medical Foundation is an operating foundation, operating programs in medical and public health education, and it operates a conference facility used by both the colleges of osteopathic medicine in the Phoenix area and the University of Arizona College of Medicine involving a distance learning program. We have a publishing arm also which produced at textbook for osteopathic students and practitioners, with a foreword by Dr. Andrew Weil who is an advocate for osteopathic medicine. We give some grants, as do most operating foundations, to community groups and we incubated the Tucson Children's Museum.

Favorite Quote or Motto: “The reason most people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls and looking like hard work”. Thomas Alva Edison.