MSU celebrates the naming of the Dr. Don I. Tharpe Lecture Hall

MURRAY, Ky. – Murray State University Board of Regents, administration, faculty, staff, students, friends and supporters of the institution celebrated a naming ceremony event on Friday, June 2 with the dedication of the Dr. Don I. Tharpe Lecture Hall inside the School of Engineering, in appreciation of Tharpe’s esteemed service and his commitment to education at Murray State.

“I was very humbled when I was notified of this very prestigious honor,” said Tharpe. “I had no idea that I was held in such high regard by my fellow alumni. The time that I spent at Murray State as both an undergraduate and graduate student prepared me for what I viewed as a very successful career. My six-year term on the Board of Regents was a pleasure. I owe a debt to Murray State that can never be repaid. Murray State is indeed, the finest place I know.”

“We are very appreciative of Dr. Don Tharpe’s commitment to Murray State University as a member of our Board of Regents throughout his six years of service, including this past year as Board Chair during Murray State’s centennial celebration,” said Murray State President Dr. Bob Jackson. “The dedication of the Dr. Don I. Tharpe Lecture Hall in our School of Engineering will serve as a permanent reminder of an individual who cares so deeply about our institution.”

Tharpe is a native of Mayfield, Kentucky and a 1970 graduate of Mayfield High School. He is the son of the late Rev. Cleo and Dorothy Tharpe and has immediate family that reside in western Kentucky. Tharpe is a graduate of Murray State University where he received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in industrial education (1974, 1975). He received the 2005 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Murray State University Alumni Association and the 2018 African American Heritage Lifetime Achievement Award from Murray State. Tharpe earned his doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Virginia Polytechnic and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. 

In 2005, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher conferred the honor of Kentucky Colonel on Tharpe. In 2017, Governor Matthew Bevin appointed him to the Murray State University Board of Regents. He served as Chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee and Chair of the Athletics Committee of the Board of Regents during his time of service. Tharpe was also appointed Murray State University Board of Regents chairperson during the University’s quarterly Board of Regents meeting on June 3, 2022, becoming the first African American Board of Regents chair in the institution’s history. 

During the June 2 Board of Regents meeting, Tharpe was presented with a Resolution of Appreciation for his years of service as a member of the Board of Regents. 

Tharpe has had a distinguished career in Association Management, spanning more than 35 years. He served as Chief Operations Officer of the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board of Standards, Inc., a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington D.C. that serves the public interest by promoting the value of professional, competent and ethical financial planning services, as represented by those who have attained the CFP certification. Tharpe also served as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pan American Health and Education Foundation which is a U.S. based public charity that works with the Pan American Health organization and other strategic partners to mobilize resources and jointly address key public health priorities. Tharpe served as President and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation which was established in 1976 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy, research and educational institute focused on leadership education, public health, economic development for African American and other underserved populations. Prior to that appointment he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Council on Foundations (COF), a nonprofit membership association of more than 2,000 grantmaking foundations and corporations. COF had a staff of 110 and budget of approximately $18 million and Tharpe was responsible for the management of the Council’s internal operations. 

Tharpe was also Executive Director of the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), a position he held for 12 years. ASBO is a nonprofit professional membership association that provides programs and services to promote the highest standards of school business management practices, professional growth and the effective use of educational resources. Before holding that post, he was ASBO’s Director of Professional Programs. 

For more than seven years prior, Tharpe held multiple senior level positions at the Association for Career and Technical Education, including Assistant Executive Director for Membership, Assistant Director of Government Relations and Director of Administrative Services. Prior to his career in association management he was employed at the Missouri State Department of Education as its Director of Trade and Vocational Education.

In addition to Tharpe’s extensive management background, he has consulted for a number of nonprofit organizations, written numerous articles on association management and served on the Board of several nonprofit organizations. He is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), a former Vice Chair of its Board and is an ASAE Fellow – an honor bestowed on fewer than 200 association executives from ASAE’s membership of over 25,000. Tharpe was a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of the Bluegrass, in Lexington, Kentucky, and served on its Finance Committee. He served on the Board of Directors of the Bluegrass Chapter of the American Red Cross and also served on the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission. Tharpe is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and is Chair of the Alpha Beta Lambda chapter’s educational foundation.

Tharpe is a resident of Nicholasville, Kentucky.