Jim Rosenthal is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tex-Air Filters. He is a 1970 graduate of Colorado College with a bachelor’s degree in political science, and he holds a master’s degree in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in summer 2020, he co-developed, with Dr. Richard Corsi, the “Corsi-Rosenthal Box” — a low-cost, do-it-yourself air filter made from 4-5 MERV 13 air filters and a box fan. Rosenthal was nominated for an honorary degree by Dr. Emily Chan, Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Psychology, and Dr. Andrea Bruder, Associate Dean of the Faculty and Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science. Dr. Bruder, who served as Public Health Advisor to the President during the COVID-19 pandemic, was building Corsi-Rosenthal boxes on the CC campus before she realized the co-inventor was an alumnus.

The device takes 20-30 minutes to build, costs less than $100, and has been shown to be more effective than commercial HEPA air cleaners. It is open source, so people worldwide can build variations using materials available in their countries. An estimated 250,000-plus Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes have been built in the last four years to help protect people from airborne viruses and contaminants like wildfire smoke. The box has been tested and endorsed by the EPA, CDC and other independent laboratories. It has been featured in academic journals, trade publications, and mainstream media including BBC, CBS, Fortune, The New York Times, NBC, NPR, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, Toronto Star, Vox, and The Washington Post.

In his work with the Corsi-Rosenthal Box, Rosenthal embodies the core values of a Colorado College education. His innovative approach to building the box itself, paired with his commitment to serving the public health of communities everywhere, demonstrate the powerful impact of the liberal arts.

At CC, Rosenthal was the Exchange Student to the Netherlands School of International Business for the 1968-69 academic year, played on the men’s golf and rugby teams, and was a dorm counselor. After earning his master’s degree and working for several companies in international business, operations, and marketing, he started his own company in 1997. 

“The liberal arts gave me the gift of learning that I have treasured my whole life … I didn’t succeed in business because I took a lot of business courses. It was because I learned to look at things in a different way — a bigger-picture view.”

Rosenthal is a lifelong learner and a firm believer in the value of a liberal arts education. He credits his CC education for giving him the skills to “learn how to learn,” and believes the liberal arts have given him perspective that has been invaluable in his business and professional career. His favorite and most helpful CC courses were English Writing, Speech, Art History, American and World History, Accounting 101, Behavioral Psychology, and anything taught by Dr. Fred Sondermann. Rosenthal’s CC experience also gave him a deep appreciation for art and music. He is a passionate print collector and classical music enthusiast, and he helped forge a multi-year collaboration between the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association and the Colorado College Summer Music Festival.

Rosenthal has more than 25 years of experience in the air filtration and environmental control industries. He served as president of the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA) from 2009-2010. In 2016, he received NAFA’s Distinguished Service Award, and in 2020, its Lifetime Achievement Award. He was President of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America – Texas Chapter from 1998-2013. He is also President of the Corsi-Rosenthal Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping to provide clean air to underserved communities.

He and his wife, Kathy Rosenthal (née Roman, Class of ’71), reside in Fort Worth, Texas.