LARRY R. THOMPSON

PRESIDENT, RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN, SARASOTA

Thompson, a lawyer by training (summa cum laude, Ohio State) and originally a math major (Wittenberg University), leads Ringling, a 1,650-student art and design college that’s in the top tier globally. He’s chaired the Sarasota Chamber, the Arts and Cultural Alliance and has sat on several boards, including the Economic Development Corp. He practiced law for six years and spent four years as the first executive director of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland and raised the money to start construction. He says he loves “leading this incredible college more than anything else.” The big thing now is artificial intelligence. “Ringling College is at the forefront of this new development in the art and design education world because we are the first to develop a certificate program to teach our students how to use AI to their advantage while still leveraging their creativity and artistic skill sets.”