Daniel L. Ritchie

Daniel L. Ritchie (September 19, 1931 – January 30, 2025) was an American businessman who was the Chancellor of the University of Denver, as well as a CEO of major communication corporations.

As Ritchie recalled in a 2005 article honoring his legacy, an affiliate station in San Francisco came to him with solid reporting about a new plague that was terrifying the medical community.

Nonetheless, he said, he and his team made the decision to put public need ahead of the bottom line—a consideration, he said, that he doubted would be respected by today's broadcasting leadership.

[2] This philosophy of putting the greater good as the top priority was carried into his work later on at the University of Denver and through community organizations and boards.

Yet, with its rich history of contributing to the state's economic and cultural life, Ritchie noted, DU struck him as well worth rejuvenating.

Chancellor Ritchie collaborated with Bill Daniels to incorporate ethics, values and social responsibility in the business school curriculum.

[4] Shortly after his inauguration as the Chancellor, Ritchie appointed a task force to undertake a thorough review of international activities at the University.

Similarly, the International Human Rights Advocacy Center in the University's Office of Internationalization owes its existence to his vision.

[5][12] He served on the Boards of the Daniels Fund, which supports programs that encourage personal responsibility and achievement by funding college scholarships and community programs,[5] and the Denver Art Museum Foundation, on the Executive Committee of Colorado Concern, and was Chairman Emeritus and Honorary Member of the Board of the Central City Opera House Association.

[5] In 2010, Governor Bill Ritter congratulated Daniel L. Ritchie on his appointment as the new chairman of Colorado Concern, one of the state's top business organizations, and thanked departing chair Walter Isenberg for his leadership.