Stephen Ritterbush, managing
partner of Fairfax Partners, has been named to the College's Board of Trustees, it was announced by Stephen Ciesinski, chairman of the board.
Ritterbush earned bachelor's
degrees in civil engineering and political science from Union
in 1968.
“I am delighted to welcome Steve
Ritterbush back to his alma mater,” Ciesinski said. “His
leadership and experience will serve the board and this College very well. I
look forward to working closely with him to advance Union College.”
“The undergraduate degrees I
received from Union provided a great bedrock for my career, and the bonds of friendship forged there remain important to this day,”
Ritterbush said. “I am personally excited to become a trustee during this
important period of growth and opportunity for the College.”
Fairfax
Partners in Vienna, Va.,
is a private equity investment firm. Ritterbush has founded more than 25 companies
including ISR Solutions, the world's largest privately held security systems
integration company; and AppNet Systems, Inc., a company that provided a variety of web-based services ranging from inventory management to web page design, that ultimately was sold to an internet service provider. Currently, he is chairman of HealthAspex, a third-party benefits administration company and serves as president and CEO of TRAXUS Technologies, a supply-chain systems
integration and security company.
With Johnson & Johnson,
Ritterbush formed two investment partnerships that nurtured the growth of medical device and drug technology companies. Today, two of the portfolio companies are Indigo Medical, a Johnson & Johnson-owned company and a leading developer of less invasive laser surgery; and CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading developer of drugs for dental and dermatological diseases.
Besides his Union degrees,
Ritterbush also earned a master's of science degree in oceanography from the Department of Geophysics at the University of Hawaii; and a master's degree in law and diplomacy and a Ph.D. in international economics from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University. Ritterbush was also a Rockefeller Foundation fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. While at Union he
studied at the University of Stockholm, Sweden, in 1968.
Ritterbush serves on the Dean's
Council at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and is a director of the Chemical and Biological Arms Control Institute.
As a student at Union, he was active in the All College Council, a class officer (president for three years), and a member of WRUC, the College radio station. A captain of Union's lacrosse team, he is remembered for scoring five goals in a season finale 13-9 win over RPI, while his broken hand was in a cast. He also scored 4 goals and 3
assists in Union's 12-7 win over Syracuse in 1966.