Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> December 20, 1999
RONALD L. TAYLOR is president and COO of DeVry Inc. and DeVry University
Inc. In 1966, Mr. Taylor graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor's degree
from Harvard University. He received his MBA from Stanford University in
1971. Mr. Taylor is Chairman of the Proprietary Schools Advisory
Committee for the Illinois Board of Higher Education; is a consultant-
evacuator, evaluation visit team chairman, member of the Institutional
Action Committee and former member of the Accreditation Review and
Investment Committee for the Commission on the Institutions of Higher
Education of the North Central Association of College and Schools. He is
a Commissioner for the Commission on Adult Learning and Educational
Credentials, American Council on Education; is the former state chairman
for the Illinois Committee for the Employer Support of the Guard and
Reserve; is a mentor for the Next Generation Leadership Institute at
Loyola University Chicago, and is a member of the board of directors of
the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Taylor serves on the board
of directors of SPR Inc., La Petite Academy, DeVry Inc., and the Better
Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois, Inc. In 1971, Mr. Taylor
joined Bell & Howell Company in Chicago, first as a Financial Analyst on
the President's staff and later as assistant controller for the Bell &
Howell Education Group. Mr. Taylor left Bell & Howell in 1973 to co-
found Keller Graduate School of Management (KGSM). In 1987, KGSM
acquired the assets of DeVry Inc. Today, DeVry Inc. owns and operates
DeVry University and Becker Conviser CPA Review It is one of the largest
publicly owned, degree-granting higher education companies in North
America. Mr. Taylor was elected to the Hinsdale, Illinois Elementary
School District 181 Board of Education in 1983 and re-elected in 1987.
He was the board president for two years and served as the board's
finance committee chairman for six years. Between 1966 and 1969, Mr.
Taylor was a First Lieutenant in the US Army and served a one-year tour
in Vietnam. Mr. Taylor was assistant Chief of Staff for Communications-
Electronics at Ft. Leonard Wood following his tour of duty in Vietnam.
He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. He was
also awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public
Service in 1998. Profile
of DeVry, just to set the stage for the readers?
Mr. Taylor: DeVry is a company that offers degree programs at
