Keith Raniere
Encyclopedia
Keith Raniere is an American entrepreneur and founder of NXIVM
. NXIVM has been described as a successful executive coaching program by its supporters and as "cult" organization in news reports.
adman and a mother who taught ballroom dancing; he grew up in the bedroom community of Suffern
, New York after having spent his first five years in Brooklyn. He arrived in the Albany area at around the age of 16, about the time his mother died, to attend the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in 1981, where Raniere triple-majored in math, physics, and biology with minors in psychology and philosophy, and earned a BS in Biology.
Raniere attracted some media attention for his high IQ scores. In 1988, a test developed by New York philosopher Ron Hoeflin and printed in Omni magazine placed his IQ at between 188 and 194 (Hoeflin confirms the result). At the age of 27, Raniere was accepted as a member of the Mega Society
, a high-IQ society with a minimum requirement at the one-in-a-million level. Raniere gained recognition for answering correctly all but two questions on a 48-question, self- administered test, in which it is stated that Raniere "moved up to the rarified one-in-10-million level."
, a company offering "Executive Success Programs" and behavior-modification "technology" called "Rational Inquiry."
NXIVM
NXIVM is an Albany County, New York, United States-based organization founded by Keith Raniere. It offers classes and seminars that encourages clients to pursue a path of self-discovery...
. NXIVM has been described as a successful executive coaching program by its supporters and as "cult" organization in news reports.
Background
Raniere is the son of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
adman and a mother who taught ballroom dancing; he grew up in the bedroom community of Suffern
Suffern, New York
Suffern is a village in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the State of New Jersey; east of Hillburn; south of Montebello and west of Airmont...
, New York after having spent his first five years in Brooklyn. He arrived in the Albany area at around the age of 16, about the time his mother died, to attend the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in 1981, where Raniere triple-majored in math, physics, and biology with minors in psychology and philosophy, and earned a BS in Biology.
Raniere attracted some media attention for his high IQ scores. In 1988, a test developed by New York philosopher Ron Hoeflin and printed in Omni magazine placed his IQ at between 188 and 194 (Hoeflin confirms the result). At the age of 27, Raniere was accepted as a member of the Mega Society
Mega Society
Founded in 1982 by Ronald K. Hoeflin to facilitate psychometric research, the Mega Society is a high IQ society open to people who have scored at the one-in-a-million level on a test of general intelligence claimed to be able to discriminate at that level...
, a high-IQ society with a minimum requirement at the one-in-a-million level. Raniere gained recognition for answering correctly all but two questions on a 48-question, self- administered test, in which it is stated that Raniere "moved up to the rarified one-in-10-million level."
Founding of NXIVM
In 1998, Raniere and associate Nancy Salzman founded NXIVMNXIVM
NXIVM is an Albany County, New York, United States-based organization founded by Keith Raniere. It offers classes and seminars that encourages clients to pursue a path of self-discovery...
, a company offering "Executive Success Programs" and behavior-modification "technology" called "Rational Inquiry."