Keynote Speaker
Louis M. Ricciardi, '81
Now in his 20th year as a member of the university's governing board of trustees, Mr. Ricciardi is the longest-serving public university trustee in the history of the commonwealth. In his 11th year as board chair, Mr. Ricciardi has served in that capacity longer than any public higher education trustee. A longtime supporter and benefactor of the university, Mr. Ricciardi holds the distinction of being the youngest person ever elected to the chairmanship of a governing board for a state college in Massachusetts; he accomplished the feat in 1990 at age 30.
Mr. Ricciardi has been a member of the BSU Foundation since 1990, and served as chair from 1996-2004. He cochaired
the University's first capital campaign, which successfully reached its goal of raising $10 million. Between 1993 and
1996, he co-chaired a separate fundraising campaign to build the Alumni Park Baseball/Softball Complex, the first-ever
privately funded state college capital project in the commonwealth. In 1994 he proposed and founded the university's annual Chairmen's Dinner, which has grown to be one of the premier fundraising social events in Southeastern Massachusetts.
Mr. Ricciardi has endowed numerous scholarships on the BSU campus, including the Michael J. Ricciardi Memorial
Scholarship (established in 1985), and most recently, the Louis M. Ricciardi Entrepreneurial Leadership endowed
internship (in 2011, which provides a full year's tuition and fees in perpetuity).
Mr. Ricciardi received the Distinguished Service Award from Bridgewater State at the May 2002 Commencement, and
the BAA Rondileau Award for outstanding community service and professional achievement in 1999.
He serves on a number of local corporate boards including Bristol County Savings Bank, Bristol County Savings Bank
Charitable Foundation, Morton Health Foundation, Morton Physicians Associates, Morton Hospital and Medical Center,
and the Taunton Development Corporation. He has served as president of the Boys and Girls Club of Taunton since 2007.
He has also held leadership positions with the Rotary Club of Taunton; the Taunton Area Chamber of Commerce; and
Heart of Taunton, Incorporated. In April 2009, he was elected to a five-year term on the Massachusetts State Board of
Higher Education and in March 2010 was appointed vice chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.
Professionally, Mr. Ricciardi is president of Ricciardi Financial Group in Taunton. He has been featured in numerous
industry publications, and from 1983-2004 authored a weekly investment column that was featured locally in The
Enterprise. In 2011-2012, the Ricciardi Financial Group was recognized as one of the Top 50 Independent Financial
Advisers in the U.S.
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