FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
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Media Contact:
Carly Colombo
On Behalf of Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans
484-385-2934 (office)
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The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans’
Board of Directors Announces Intention of Terrence J. Giroux to
Retire as Executive Director by Year-End 2024
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The Board of Directors has established a Search Committee and engaged Heidrick & Struggles to lead its international search for a new Association leader.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (11-2-2023) – Today, Horatio Alger Association’s Board of Directors announced that Terrence J. Giroux, will depart his role as Executive Director no later than December 31, 2024. After nearly 40 years of exceptional leadership, Giroux informed the Board
of his intention to retire by the end of 2024 so that a robust search for a new leader of the Association could be conducted and – upon their selection – appropriate time would be available to ensure a seamless transition between Executive Directors.
Giroux’s service to Horatio Alger Association has been marked with great success since assuming the role in 1988. Under his near four-decades of leadership, the Association, with its mission of protecting and advancing the American Dream for future generations, has experienced
extraordinary growth. Today, Horatio Alger Association stands at the precipice of achieving a $500 million endowment – all privately raised – while annually inducting new Members whose life experiences and accomplishments reflect the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. More, under Giroux’s leadership, the Association has built one of North America’s largest and most esteemed scholarship programs. In nearly 40 years, the Association has served more than 37,000 students and provided – solely through the
generosity of its Membership – more than $262 million in scholarships to young men and women – who like the Members themselves – have overcome incredible adversity to pursue their dreams.
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“Terry Giroux is the beating heart of this Association, and he has set the standard for excellence in leadership and stewardship over the past 39 years as our Executive Director,” said James F. Dicke II, chairman, Horatio Alger Association and 2015 Horatio Alger Award recipient. “Terry has put his heart and soul into growing an Association that not only operates as a family but has transformed the lives of more than 35,000 students in the United States and Canada. Always visionary, he has led an Association that not only creates immeasurable opportunities and pathways to success for the young people we serve but one where Members and Life Partners truly engage with one another, our families, and our Scholars. There is no one like Terry Giroux.
On behalf of our Directors, Members, Life Partners, Legacy Ambassadors, and Friends of Distinction, I can confidently say that our gratitude to Terry for what he has helped us to built knows no bounds. We wish him, his beloved wife Barbara, and his family all the best as he
prepares to enter this next chapter.”
“For nearly 40 years, I have had the privilege of leading this esteemed organization, composed of men and women who inspire me every day,” said Giroux. “This is a Member organization first, and the success of this Association is rooted in their stories, philanthropy, and stewardship. In all
they do, our Members reflect the power and promise of the American Dream. To be a caretaker of such a legacy – like Kenneth Beebe, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, and Love Smith before me – has been an honor. But more, to be surrounded on this journey by colleagues and Association
volunteers who I count as cherished friends has made my tenure deeply meaningful. I am proud of all the Association has accomplished through our Membership and our Scholars. I believe now is the right time for the Association to identify its next leader who will guide the Association’s
mission, which is more urgent than ever before.”
The Association is well-positioned for its next Executive Director to build upon Giroux’s visionary leadership and accomplishments. Charity Navigator has awarded the Horatio Alger Association its highest rating—four stars—for the past five years based on the Association’s accountability,
transparency, and financial health. Only 17% of charities have attained this level of recognition. Further, the Scholar Support programs currently in place, including the addition of Scholar Coordinators in 2020, continue to reflect best-in-class care and guidance for students, which
aligns with the Association’s focus on the “Whole Scholar.”
The Horatio Alger Association Board of Directors has established a Search Committee, which will oversee a national search for a new Executive Director. It has retained Heidrick & Struggles, a global executive search, which specializes in helping philanthropy, government, higher education, academic and non-profit clients find new leadership. Established in 1953, Heidrick & Struggles was one of the first executive search firms established in the United States. The Board, with the Association’s Executive Team, will also work closely with Giroux on a transition plan to ensure continuity of operations upon the selection of a new Executive Director in 2024.
For more information on the Horatio Alger Association, please visit: https://horatioalger.org/.
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ABOUT HORATIO ALGER ASSOCIATION OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS:
Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. is dedicated to
the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all
obstacles. The Association honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who haveaccomplished remarkable successes in spite of adversity by bestowing upon them the Horatio
Alger Award and inducting them as lifetime Members. Horatio Alger Members support promising
young people with the resources and confidence needed to overcome adversity in pursuit of their
dreams through higher education. Through the generosity of its Members and friends, in 2022,
the Association awarded more than $18 million in undergraduate and graduate need-based
scholarships to over 1,800 students across the United States and Canada, and provided college
support and mentoring services to its Scholars. By the 40th anniversary of the Association’s
scholarship program in 2024, more than $247 million will be awarded in undergraduate, graduate,
military veteran and career and technical education scholarships to more than 37,000 deserving
students. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.