More than 100 friends of CBI/Richmont – alumni, descendants of the CBI founding family, and other friends – gathered at the Hunter Museum of American Art for a gala dinner to celebrate the 90th anniversary of CBI’s founding, its gradual evolution into today’s Richmont, and its decades of positive impact on the city. Guests viewed a video sharing an oral history of CBI and how it came to be merged with Psychological Studies Institute in Atlanta, forming Richmont Graduate University in 2000.
“2023 is a big year for Richmont," said Amy Estes, executive director of University Advancement. "It marks not only the 90th anniversary of CBI, but also the 50th anniversary of PSI, Richmont’s Atlanta predecessor, and the 20th anniversary of our first accredited graduating class. We thought it was important to celebrate these milestones of our heritage and what has gone in to making Richmont what it is today. And we are pleased to have started our celebrations in such a special way recognizing our Chattanooga roots.”
The gala at the Hunter was sponsored by Decosimo Corporate Finance, LLC. Tom Decosimo, current Richmont Trustee and great nephew of CBI founder Ellen Sharp Poindexter, hoped to engage younger members of the founding family. Following the event he said, “This 5th and 6th generation of family members and their broad network of friends, all of whom are upcoming leaders of the Chattanooga community, where provided information about Richmont – their legacy. To a person, they were overwhelmed with the impact the University is making in the world by training from a Christian worldview evidence-based clinical mental health practitioners. They were excited and eager to understand the ways they can offer their support.”
Richmont’s President, Dr. Timothy Quinnan, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to assume the leadership of Richmont in summer 2017. He provided guests with highlights of his tenure to date and a current snapshot of the university Richmont has become, experiencing endowment growth, expansion of programs, and record enrollments in recent semesters.
During the last weekend of July, Richmont will host activities in Atlanta marking the 50th anniversary of Psychological Studies Institute.