Richard was born in Honduras arriving in the U.S. at 4 years old. He holds a BS in Industrial Engineering; MS in Applied Educational Psychology; and is a Doctoral Candidate (ABD – All But Dissertation).
Richard spent 15+ years in industry as an engineer/manager for two companies prior to joining Northeastern: (1) M/A-COM, Inc., a Tyco Electronics Company, in Massachusetts, and (2) Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Richard joined Northeastern University in 2003. He holds the following positions in the College of Engineering (COE): Assistant Dean Academic Scholarship, Mentoring and Outreach; Director of NUPRIME (Northeastern University Program In Multicultural Engineering); College of Engineering Co-Chair for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee; Affiliate Professor of Africana Studies in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH); and Special Advisor for Educational Pathways Programs to the Office of the Provost. He has also been Co-PI and Senior Team member on several NSF, NIEHS and Howard Hughes Medical Institute grants.
Richard is a member and official chapter advisor to both the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). He is the University representative of the National GEM Consortium; University representative of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME); American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) member; American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) member; National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA) member; and a Fellow of the Massachusetts Academy of Sciences.
Some recent recognitions include: 2020 College of Engineering Dean’s Meritorious Award; 2019 NSBE Minority Program Director of the Year; 2019 NSBE Boston Professional STEM Advocate Award; 2016 Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Carter G. Woodson Bowties & Pearls Higher Education Award; 2015 National GEM Consortium University Representative of the Year.
Richard volunteers for many activities and organizations. He currently serves as a community advisory board member (CAB) for the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Community Health Improvement (CCHI); President of the Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts, Inc.; and Advocate for the Empower Yourself Youth-based program.