Rick Harvey

Rick has spent more than forty‑five years working across business, education, broadcasting, and community service. After retiring, he has embraced the opportunity to return to long‑delayed creative work, with time – time to complete several book projects he first began in the late 1970s but had to set aside for the demands of work and life.

After starting college in 1981, his professional path began in 1982 when he opened and operated a game room business, which he later sold at a considerable profit before returning to university full‑time.

From 1984 to 1991 he served as a seasonal and contractual sports director, while also working as a PE and Activities Director from 1986 to 1989 and participating in a tutoring pilot program from 1990 to 1991. Between 1991 and 1993 he worked in construction.

Alongside these roles, he spent more than a decade as a radio play‑by‑play and color commentator in various sports at the high school and collegiate levels, and officiated high school baseball and basketball from 1984 to 1997. He returned to broadcasting in 2002 and continued working with various stations through 2022.

In 1993 he joined Wal‑Mart during the launch of its grocery distribution division, a role that took him across multiple states identifying and developing new sites. His work as a supervisor and manager eventually led him back to university in 2004 to complete his degree and pursue his long‑held dream of coaching and teaching.

In 2012 he began his administrative career in education as Athletic Director, and later other roles with administrative duties such as Transportation Director and Alternative Education Coordinator.

In 2020 he completed his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership, fulfilling that role from 2018 to 2022 as Dean of Students.

From 2001 to 2010 he served as an area representative for more than 120 foreign exchange students and hosted ten students in his home, many of whom were connected through friendships or family recommendations. His work with international students deepened his love of travel, taking him to forty‑three U.S. states, Washington D.C., and more than forty countries.

Rick has dedicated thousands of hours – and resources – to volunteer work with organizations such as St. Jude’s, Make‑A‑Wish, the Red Cross, and others. He has served as an MC and participated on numerous advisory boards in both formal and informal capacities, as well as performing as Elvis in costume on three continents and half a dozen states.

Passionate about every endeavor he undertakes, Rick credits patience and commitment as his greatest strengths, and acknowledges that learning to ask for help sooner has been one of his lifelong challenges. A Christian who attends church sporadically but maintains a deep personal faith, he continues to approach life with gratitude, purpose, and a desire to serve.