Richard Clegg helps nonprofit leaders navigate complexity with confidence. A trusted, strategic, and grounded facilitator, he partners with boards and executive teams to strengthen governance, clarify direction, identify and recruit exceptional executive talent, and turn plans into meaningful leadership action.
Richard Clegg knows the difference a nonprofit leader can make because one changed the trajectory of his own life. That experience shaped a lifelong commitment to mission-driven leadership and continues to inform the care, curiosity, and purpose he brings to every client partnership.
With more than 40 years of nonprofit leadership and consulting experience, Richard helps boards and executive teams navigate strategic planning, governance, executive transition, and organizational change. His greatest strength is facilitation through listening. He creates environments where people feel safe being honest, quieter voices are invited into the conversation, and healthy tension leads to genuine alignment. His experience reflects a deep commitment to strengthening nonprofit governance, advancing inclusive leadership, and equipping organizations with adaptive, actionable approaches to strategic planning.
While with YMCA of the USA, Richard co-developed Membership By Design, a national strategy used by more than 850 YMCA associations to strengthen membership acquisition and retention. He co-led the integration of real-time strategic planning into the national delivery system. He also founded the YMCA's first national LGBTQ+ employee resource group, reflecting his belief that organizational growth and inclusive leadership belong together. Richard is a BoardSource Advanced Certified Nonprofit Board Consultant and a certified Master Trainer in Managing Inclusion, and was trained by La Piana as a Real-Time Strategic Planning consultant.
Richard earned his BA from the University of Toledo and MS in Organizational Leadership from Springfield College. He and his husband, Joe, live in Chicago with their two Labrador retrievers, Luca and Lily.
Based in: Chicago, Illinois
Enjoys: Classic movies, great music, and life with dogs
Ask Richard about: Strategic planning, board governance, executive search, or being born on Leap Day