Richard P. Essey Chairman and Founder
Richard P. Essey founded TemPositions in 1962 after a career in retail, advertising administration and personnel. His goal in founding TemPositions was to provide a flexible work force to meet the demands of rapidly expanding businesses.
He is a past president of both the American Staffing Association (ASA), and the New York Staffing Association (NYSA). He was the first recipient of the ASA Leadership Award, in recognition of his outstanding service to the industry, and was chosen as “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Inc. magazine, recognizing his contributions to the field of human resources.
He is a National Trustee of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (ALSA) also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and the founder of The ALSA Bay Area Chapter. To further the research in the field of ALS, he established the Sheila Essey Award for Outstanding Research, an award given at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and described as the premier worldwide award in the field of ALS research.
Dick serves on the Board of Trustees of the AAN Foundation and also serves on the Board of Governors of The City Club of San Francisco and was inducted into their Heritage Wall of Fame which honors individuals who have greatly impacted the community. He was the founder of the Essey Community Service Internship Program, which places high school students in non-profit organizations during the summer, at no cost to the organizations. For his contributions to the community, he received citations from the Mayor of San Francisco and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Other non-profit Boards that Dick is a member of include The Museum of Craft and Folk Art, and The San Francisco City Club Foundation, where he is also President. He was formerly a Trustee of the San Francisco Fine Arts Museums.
Dick established the Essey Family Fund, which makes charitable contributions throughout the country with the goal of improving the quality of life for others. Most recently, he was awarded a “FAMMY” Award for establishing the Essey Meal Delivery Program for disabled individuals unable to prepare and shop for food.
Dick received his BS and MBA from New York University, where he established the TemPositions Career Resource Center to assist undergraduate students in their job search process. He delivered the Distinguished Alumni Address at the NYU Stern School of Business Pre-Commencement Ceremonies.
