Richard is originally from Rialto, California, but has spent half of his life as a San Diegan. He attended San Diego State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communication and a Master’s in Counseling in 2005 and 2011 respectively. He went on to work for SDSU as a Student Life Advisor for 4 years before transitioning to Southwestern College in 2015 where he currently works as the Student Activities Coordinator. He is responsible for all things student development including co-curricular activities like the Student Government, Clubs & Organizations and on/off-campus events, trainings, retreats, and conferences. He has taught courses on identity development and navigating higher education at the high school level and has created/delivered dozens of presentations and workshops on topics ranging from conflict resolution and personality assessment to bias, anti-blackness, equity-minded leadership.
As a talented orator, equity-minded activist for social justice, educator and trained Anti-Bias facilitator (via the Anti-Defamation League), he is passionate about finding engaging, innovative ways to teach, support and advocate for students at all levels of education. Richard is a champion for student success and is always excited to see the light in students’ eyes as they have their “ah-ha” moments. When he is not helping students grow and develop, he enjoys traveling, movies, sports and spending time with friends and family including his best friends; his awesome, beautiful wife, Kendall, his 3-year old daughter Riley Rae and his ferocious, energetic, 10-pound Malte-Poo, Megatron.