Richard Stoff

Retired, President, Ohio Business Roundtable

Board Member: Corporate

After twenty-five years of service, Richard Stoff retired in December 2017 as the founding president and CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable, a partnership of the chief executive officers of Ohio’s largest and most influential businesses. Established in 1992, the Roundtable’s mission is to apply the knowledge, experience, and insight of its members to solve Ohio’s most complex, long-term public policy challenges. Highly selective in the issues it addresses, the Roundtable works only in areas in which their business experience has made a significant difference in effecting real systems change and an improved quality of life for the citizens of the state. As Roundtable President, Richard has served hundreds of top corporate executives, in bipartisan collaboration with five governors and numerous legislative leaders and policymakers, to foster innovation, social justice and economic growth across Ohio. Richard was succeeded in his role by eight-term United States Congressman Patrick Tiberi. 

Prior to founding the Roundtable, Richard served sixteen years in management consulting with two of the world’s largest professional service firms. He was elected as a Partner with Ernst & Young, directing the Firm’s public sector practice in Ohio and before that he served as a Senior Consultant with Touche Ross & Co. (now Deloitte & Touche), working with a range of clients in real estate, health care, manufacturing and government, in addition to serving as a lead consultant in the firm’s three-year landmark engagement to design a new integrated financial management system for the City of New York during the City’s period of default and financial recovery in the late 70s. While with the firm, Richard also specialized in financial and market feasibility studies for new professional sports arenas, entertainment and hospitality facilities. Richard began his public service career as a budget analyst at the state and local level with both the State of Ohio and Fairfax County, Virginia offices of management and budget. 

Richard has a long history of civic leadership, especially in education, having served on the boards of trustees of the Business Alliance for Higher Education and the Economy, Ohio’s BEST education coalition, the Ohio STEM Learning Network and Battelle for Kids – each of which he and the Ohio Business Roundtable conceived, created and led. He is Vice Chair of Operation Respect/Don’t Laugh At Me, a national anti-bullying organization inspired by Peter, Paul and Mary, in addition to his successful effort to save and restore Bexley’s iconic Drexel Theatre, now on the National Historic Register. Richard has served on the executive workforce boards of former Ohio governors Kasich, Strickland, Taft and Voinovich. He has served for 30 years on Jobs for America’s Graduates board and was the creator and founding chairman of BRIGHT New Leaders for Ohio Schools, administered today by The Ohio State University. Among his pro bono retirement activities, he has served as Senior Advisor to Move to Prosper, a low income housing initiative – and Braver Angels, a national nonprofit working to depolarize America. Richard currently advises the Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism, bringing labor, business and government together in a working alliance. He served on the National Finance Committee and Economic Policy Committee of Biden for President. 

A native New Yorker, Richard earned his BA in Political Science, with honor, in 1972 from Northeastern University and his MPA in 1975 from The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, where he concentrated in public finance. His wife of 43 years, Carol Zelizer Stoff, is a practicing attorney and received her BS summa cum laude, MPA and JD degrees, all from The Ohio State University. The Stoffs reside in Columbus and are the proud parents of Jenni. Together, Jenni and her husband Sumit received their MPP degrees from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and today they carry on the family tradition of public service in Washington DC, while nurturing their toddler daughters Maya and Sara.