The weekend of April 4-6 Jeff Rich will receive the Horatio Alger Award. Known for his support of numerous community organizations, Jeff, and his wife Jan Miller, time and again have given time and money and opened their home to help everything from the arts to education.
Annually, the Horatio Alger Award is presented to men and women “who have overcome obstacles to become successful entrepreneurs or community leaders.”
According to the Horatio Alger organization, “As a role model, the association will share Jeffrey A. Rich’s life experiences with its scholars and the American public. Born in Goodrich, Michigan, Jeffrey A. Rich earned a business/finance degree from the University of Michigan in 1982. He worked on a farm, did home improvements and dishwashing during high school and college, and realized he didn’t want to do this type of work as a career. His first job was at Interfirst Bank Dallas, followed by a career in acquisition finance with Citibank. He then moved from New York to Dallas where he served as CFO with Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), helping to take the company public in 1995. He became first COO then CEO at ACS in the nineties. He grew the company to list in the Fortune 500 and was named in Forbes’ ‘Best Big Companies’ list for seven years. In 2005 he began PlumTree Partners, a private investment firm, where he is Managing Director. His philanthropy includes the Dallas Symphony, Best Buddies Texas, Education is Freedom, and the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.”
Jeff will join other local Horatio Alger Awardees like Ebby Halliday Acers, Jody Grant, T. Boone Pickens and Bob Schlegel.
Other Horatio Alger news regarding locals is that Cassi R. Coffey, of Chapel Hill High School in Whitehouse, and Eric C. Ejiofor, of Keller High School in Keller, will receive 2013 Horatio Alger National Scholarships.