T. Richard Fort

Dr. Richard Fort began his career in the space shuttle program at Kennedy Space Center, where he worked for Martin Marietta, Lockheed, and NASA in the areas of organizational development, leadership, and total quality management.

He continued his career in the telecommunications industry with Time Warner Cable, then moved into the world of education when he bought a Sylvan Learning Center franchise. In 1995, Dr. Fort founded Education Sales Management (ESM), which quickly grew into the premier enrollment center for Sylvan franchises across the nation. ESM branched into higher education and became the leading provider of student enrollment services in the areas of college admissions and student retention. In 16 years, ESM worked with over 1,000 learning centers, college campuses, and online programs, grew to 800 employees and was acquired by the Xerox Corporation in 2011. Today, Dr. Fort runs The Fort Knocks Company, an investment management company focused on the life sciences and cleantech energy sectors. He advises start-ups and entrepreneurs and sits on several boards of directors. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology at Louisiana State University, a Master of Science in experimental psychology from Northeast Louisiana University, and his doctorate in organizational psychology from Walden University.