40 under 40 — Richard Wingert

Pi Tau, 2012 — Recognized in: 2018

Born Richard Alwyn Wingert in Boston, MA to a working-class American family, Richie learned at an early age the importance of hard work, dedication and perseverance. His parents Debra Mercer and Richard I. Wingert constantly instilled in him the idea that he could become anything he set his mind to. From the time he was a young child, he has always gravitated toward creative arts, whether it was performing on stage, singing in the all-boys choir at his high school or practicing improv. In addition to this, Richie has always been very active in athletics, participating in Cross-Country, Soccer, Wrestling, Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts. He attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute where he received a Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering. After college, Richie worked as a research assistant for a prominent hospital in the Boston area, as well as an electrician under his father’s company, before ultimately deciding to leave that life behind and pursue his passion for acting and modeling. Now a full-time actor in Films, Television, Commercials and Theater, Richie is proving to be one of the most sought after talents in New England.

During his stay at WPI, Richie joined the Pi Tau chapter of Zeta Psi. He served as Philanthropy Chair for two years, joining the Inter-Fraternity Council as Community Service Chair afterwards. During his tenure at WPI, Richie used his position to earn well over $8,000 as well as 10,000 hours of community service for various non-profit organizations including American Cancer Society, Red Cross Haitian Relief fund and Homeless Shelter of Worcester. In his own words, Richie “could not have earned a fraction of this without the help of his active brothers pushing him to succeed”. Every meeting mattered, every conversation was worth having, and every person was worth connecting to.

Richie is also the youngest person to have ever held a position on the Board of Governors at Old Colony YMCA in Massachusetts. While serving in this position, Richie helped raise $1.6 million for the organization. Despite all of these commitments, Richie was also a founding member of a startup aimed at helping people with OCD. Richie is also the former Chief Operating Officer at Dunmont Innovative Technologies, and is currently pursuing his acting career full-time in New York City.

More information about Richie can be found with his existing New England agency Model Club.