Richard Crandall - Big Things for Students

Richard Crandall is the founder and President of CN Resource and a partner and Chief Financial Officer of Crandall Corporate Dietitians, both of them in Mesa, Arizona. He is also a former State lawmaker who served in both the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona Senate.



At present, he is working toward his doctorate in Educational Leadership at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. He says he has always wanted to lead a school system, and for a time served as School Board President for Arizona’s largest school district in Mesa.

It appeared he had found his dream job in 2013, when he was named to head the Wyoming Department of Education by Governor Matt Mead. “You’ve got the state board, a governor’s office and a Legislature who just want to do big things for Wyoming students,” he said at the time. The position was brand new, having been created by the Wyoming legislature in 2013. Unfortunately, it did not last long. The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled in early 2014 that the State Legislature did not have the authority to create the post. “As a result,” Rich Crandall says, “the Director position was eliminated in the spring of 2014.”

The Northern Arizona doctoral program that Richard Crandall is now enrolled in focuses on administration at the K-12 and community college and higher education levels. He is on track to receive his degree in 2017. He already holds a Master of Business Administration from Notre Dame, and a Master of Accountancy from Brigham Young University.

Richard Crandall - Former Arizona State Legislator

Richard Crandall spent seven years as an Arizona state legislator. He won elections to both the State Senate and the State House of Representatives. He has won awards for his service in both houses, including the Arizona Times’ Reader’s Choice Award for best Republican Senator and the Senator of the Year according to the Arizona Chamber of Commerce in 2012. His work on education policy won most people over. In 2011, Crandall won the Legislator of the Year award from the Arizona Association of County School Superintendents. He sat on the Education Committee in the Arizona House of Representatives and the Senate.

Richard Crandall is also the Chairman of the Board for Child Nutrition Resource (CN Resource), a consulting firm that helps state agencies and school districts comply with state and federal chuild nutrition regulations. Crandall knows that proper nutrition in schools is very important for kids to get the most out of their education. Throughout his years handling legislative issues for all of Arizona’s colleges, universities, and K-12 schools as the Chairman of the Education Committee, he dealt with issues that many children deal with on a daily basis. This experience informs his work with CN Resource.

Richard Crandall is also the Chief Financial Officer and partner for a company founded by his mother, , Crandall Corporate Dietitians. Richard’s mother, Linda, founded the company in 1966 to develop policies and procedures as well as menus  for national long-term care and assisted living facilities in forty-four states. Crandall handles all marketing strategies, financial operations, and Information Technology for the company.

Richard Crandall - Long Years of Experience

Richard Crandall is an experienced education administrator, legislator, and businessman. After earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University, he attended the University of Notre Dame to earn a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. In 2007, Crandall won a seat in the Arizona state House of Representatives, which he held until 2010. During his tenure in office, Crandall sat on the Appropriations Committee and the Judiciary Committee. He also became the Chairman of the Education Committee and the Vice Chair of the Commerce Committee.

Richard Crandall

In 2011, Richard Crandall won another election, this time to the Arizona state Senate. There he chaired the Education Committee and the Transportation Committee and joined the Appropriations Committee, the Public Health and Safety Committee, and the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and the Joint Committee on Capital Review. At every level of government he has been in, he has sought to keep lawmakers honest and ensure that their work positively affects as many people as possible.

Richard Crandall, as the Chairman of the Education Committees in both houses, developed an interest in education and how kids learn. Crandall is currently the CEO and Chairman of the Board for a company called Child Nutrition Resource (CN Resource), which consults with state agencies and individual districts to create nutritional options for kids in public schools in compliance with strict state and federal regulations. 

Richard Crandall - There’s a Checklist for That

Richard Crandall is a former State lawmaker from Arizona, and the founder and President of CN Resource in Mesa. CN Resource is a national consulting firm that helps State agencies and school districts throughout the United States optimize their Federal Child Nutrition programs.

Richard Crandall

Rich Crandall has long been interested in education, and as a member of the Arizona Senate and House of Representatives served on the Education Committees. He was also appointed the Director of the Wyoming Department of Education, a position created by Wyoming state statute during the 2013 legislative session. “Unfortunately,” he recalls, “the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled that the State Legislature had overreached, and did not have the constitutional authority to create the Director position.” As a result of that ruling, his position was eliminated and he returned to Arizona.

He has also turned his attention to writing, and co-authored an article called “Want Better Education Policy? There’s a Checklist for That,” published on the Governing magazine website in October of 2015. “State and local policymakers want to provide good education for their constituents,” he and his co-author wrote. “But education policy making is complex even for experienced lawmakers. Enthusiasm for fixing education needs to be paired with careful consideration of the impact and feasibility of policy proposals.”

Richard Crandall has also served as a School Board member for Arizona’s largest school district, and is a partner at Crandall Corporate Dietitians in Mesa. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre, where he graduated Summa cum Laude, and at present is completing a doctorate in Education Leadership from Northern Arizona University.