Michael Rion, Ph.D.

Ph.D. in Ethics, Yale University.
B.A. in business administration with highest distinction, Northwestern University.

Frequently in demand as a dynamic speaker and trainer, Dr. Rion has led hundreds of workshops for managers at all levels and consulted on ethics and management with major corporations and with government and community groups.  His clients include Aetna Inc., CIGNA, Olin Corporation, the State of Connecticut, The New England, Sun Life, TIAA‑CREF, and Warner‑Lambert Company and many others.  He has also lectured and conducted workshops for universities and professional organizations throughout the United States and in Europe.

The value of Dr. Rion's contribution to business ethics is widely recognized.  For example, Dr. Worth Loomis, who teaches a college course titled “Accountability: Business and Nonprofit Ethics in a World of Globalization” says: "Mike Rion, former president of Hartford Seminary and an ethicist and consultant with a worldwide practice, has written a timeless guidebook for every one of us whose job it is to be a manager in a for-profit or non-profit organization operating in the globalized world described above."

Dr. Rion is recognized nationally for his 1979 pioneering work in ethics training when he developed one of the first corporate ethics programs. He was among the first to study success in business and identify ethics as a driver of  performance and to help companies tap the power of shared values. Dr. Rion served for four years as the Director of Corporate Responsibility at Cummins Engine Company, where he worked directly with line managers on issues of responsible management.  He later served for six years as President of Hartford Seminary, an innovative interdenominational educational and research center.

Dr. Rion is a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum. He is the  principal and founder of Resources for Ethics and Management.

Dr. Rion's useful publications for business ethics include:

The Responsible Manager: Practical Strategies for Ethical Decision Making by Michael Rion. (Resources for Ethics and Management, 1999. published originally as The Responsible Manager by Harper & Row 1990).  Introduces a practical decision making framework for resolving ethical dilemmas.  Written in a pragmatic and readable style, it is firmly grounded in theory as well as actual management practice. 

Responsible Family Philanthropy: A Resource Book on Ethical Decision Making for Family Foundations by Michael Rion. (Council On Foundations, 1999). Provides a framework for individual and organizational ethics, guidance on board membership, the decision making process, managing financial resources, resource documents and references. 

Integrity At Work  CD ROM computer based and classroom training using illustrative video vignettes and interactive training methods.  Produced by Learning Dynamics in collaboration with Michael Rion.

Everyday Ethics: Putting Values into Action by Michael Rion. (Resources for Ethics and Management, 2002).A practical handbook of concrete behaviors that build the mutual trust essential to personal and organizational success. Living these behaviors increases productivity, creativity and personal satisfaction. In a clear “user-friendly” style, interspersed with quotations and original cartoons, Dr. Rion describes over 40 proven ethical behaviors he has identified in successful organizations during his more than 20 years of ethics training and consulting. Practical examples and positive outcomes illustrate each behavior