In 1990, Tarrus Richardson (M’91) became the first black Purdue student body president, with 70 percent of the vote.

After Richardson received his bachelor of science in accounting from Purdue, he earned his MBA from from Harvard Business School in 1996.

He is the founder of the Council of Urban Professionals, and past president of the Purdue Black Alumni Organization.

He was also a Robert Toigo Fellow during his time at Harvard Business commemorate the work and progress of Purdue’s black alumni, we’re offering new members a limited-run print of a campus icon — the Boilermaker painting by world-renowned black artist Derek Fordjour.

The Purdue Black Alumni Organization (PBAO) Presidential Leadership Scholarship was created in 2009 in honor of Richardson, a former PBAO president.