Dr. Richard SanderConsultant
areas of expertise
- Strategic Planning
- Executive Searches
- Operational Review
education
- EdD in Education, University of Cincinnati
- M.S. in Physical Education, Xavier University
- B.S. in Business Administration, University of Tennessee – Chattanooga
Dr. Richard Sander has served as Executive in Residence and Assistant to the President at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) since 2017, and as Director of the Center for Global Sport Leadership there.
Prior to his current position at ETSU, he served as its Athletic Director from 2013 to 2017, returning ETSU to the Southern Conference, bringing back football after an 11-year hiatus, and winning three consecutive SoCon Commissioner Cups.
Under Dr. Sander’s 20-year (1987 – 2007) leadership of the athletic program at VCU, the Rams claimed 27 Colonial Athletic Association championship titles.
He oversaw nearly $40 million in capital improvements for VCU athletic facilities, including the Alltel Pavilion (Siegel Center), Sports Backers Stadium, a new Sports Medicine building and an on-campus tennis facility. In addition, he created and served as Executive Director of the VCU Center for Sport Leadership and was influential in bringing numerous NCAA championship competitions to the Richmond area. In 2002, he created, developed and implemented the Villa 7 program, resurrected in 2018 under the new brand TopConnect for next level networking for basketball coaches and athletic directors.
After his retirement from VCU in 2007, he remained director of the Center for Sport Leadership until 2009, and later founded Docdi Consulting, LLC, which specializes in brand-enhancement initiatives and strategic planning.
Dr. Sander earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga, an MS in Physical Education from Xavier University, and an EdD in Education from the University of Cincinnati. He and his wife, Mary, have a daughter, son, and 3 grandchildren.
contact details
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