Remembering Dan Ritchie—Leader, Founder, Friend

We at IAALS are deeply saddened by the passing of Daniel L. Ritchie, one of the founders of IAALS, Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Denver, and a businessman, philanthropist, rancher, and leader in the Denver community. 

Born in China Grove, North Carolina, Ritchie grew up during the Great Depression. Although he wanted to drop out of high school at 15, his father found him a more challenging school nearby; in Ritchie’s words, this “really changed [his] life” and allowed him to pursue a scholarship to Harvard University. He graduated from Harvard with both his bachelor’s and master’s in business administration before working in a variety of roles, including the U.S. Army, Lehman Brothers, and the Music Corporation of America. 

“I really left Hollywood because I didn’t like the culture,” he told the University of Denver Magazine. “On the whole, I thought it was a grubby business. It was all about money and fame but not about heart.” After leaving MCA, he spent nearly a decade with Westinghouse Broadcasting before moving to Colorado in the 1980s. He joined the board of trustees of the University of Denver, bringing his business acumen and strong sense of integrity to board meetings. In 1989 he accepted the job as chancellor, despite trepidations about his experience and qualifications. “I really believe if you're going to do something, you do it really well,” he said. 

Of course, he did just that. During his 16-year tenure as chancellor, he oversaw significant growth and development at the university, including the construction of new buildings, the creation of new scholarships and financial-aid programs, the promotion of athletics to Division I, and the development of a world-class study abroad program. A key part of Ritchie’s leadership philosophy was that it should be from the bottom up. “The folks on the front line, whether it’s in the classroom or on the athletic field or whatever it is, know more about it than you do—than I did, anyway,” he said. “And they need to be listened to and feel a part of it and that you’re there for them.” He was a deep believer in cowboy ethics—taking pride in your work, always finishing what you start, and doing what has to be done. 

After stepping down as chancellor, Ritchie remained an active part of the Denver community, serving as CEO of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, president of the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation, and chairman of DU’s board of trustees. It was around this time that he had a conversation with IAALS’ founding executive director, Rebecca Love Kourlis, about whether there was a think tank for the legal system—one that would be collaborative and action-oriented. “No? Well, why don’t we start one.” As a co-founder of IAALS, Ritchie not only raised money and helped pull together the initial team, but  kept an active role in IAALS’ work, lending his expertise to projects and serving on IAALS’ board of advisors and executive committee. In fact, he moved his office into John Moye Hall in 2017, where he became a daily presence among the IAALS team. 

“Nobody else was or is doing what IAALS does,” Ritchie said. “Nobody has the respect and balance and commitment that IAALS has. Our civil justice system is the lynchpin of our country and democracy.” He was a visionary and an inspiration to others, and he brought this same vision and inspiration to our work at IAALS. He continually urged that there was no more critical mission, and that we must remain steadfast in our work to make a significant difference for our justice system and the people it serves.

Ritchie’s legacy will live on not only in the programs he made possible, but through the values he exemplified throughout his entire life—integrity, grit, determination, and motivation, among many others. “He is brilliant and wise—he is a dreamer and a doer (a very unusual combination), a leader, and a visionary,” Kourlis wrote. “Dan Ritchies only come along once or twice a century.” IAALS is incredibly grateful for the vision and inspiration he brought both to IAALS’ founding and to its future, and we’re committed to championing the values he held dear in our work.