JP Beckham '87
“I chose Radford University,” says JP Beckham ’87, “because of its ideal setting, a lot of friends were already attending, and it was just the right size for me.”
Beckham also heard about RU’s outstanding business school. “My Radford University education gave me a very solid foundation for understanding the business world, and enabled me to start a successful career upon graduation for a Fortune 100 Company. RU professors, including my faculty advisor Brack Smith, gave me the confidence to keep working hard and reach for my goals.” Beckham is currently the Director of Risk Management and Compliance at the National Student Clearinghouse.
Beckham has more than 25 years of experience leading teams to improve business processes, implementing risk management and compliance programs, and leading quality assurance efforts for Fortune 150 and non-profit organizations within the education, finance, and travel and expense management industries. He is best known for rescuing troubled programs and successfully leading the new College Board SAT system project – that handles more than a million online registrations annually and oversees test and customer service management in over 7,000 test centers in more than 170 countries.
He was awarded the President’s Spirit Award and Outstanding PM Mentor Award by the College Board and the Excellence Award by Sallie Mae. He also currently serves as chair of the Radford University College of Business and Economics (COBE) Advisory Council. This spring he was named COBE Alumni of the Year.
Recently, Beckham helped his children, current RU students, settle in to their Radford residences for the start of the new school year. “The fall semester is underway and the beautiful Radford campus is beginning to show touches of fall color. My daughter Christine Beckham ’15 and son Collin Beckham ’16, enjoy seeing their friends again, learning from RU’s outstanding professors, and getting involved in campus activities like intramural sports. I still have all of my intramural softball, basketball, football and water polo championship t-shirts -- and it’s been more than 25 years since I’ve graduated from RU!"
Homecoming is scheduled for October 10 – 12 and he is looking forward to seeing his college friends and spending time on campus celebrating his family’s ties to Radford University. “Radford University will always have a special place in our family’s life. I’m very glad to have earned my degree here and to support my children’s efforts to do the same,” says Beckham.