Richard enlisted in the U.S. Army in November 2010, where he became a paratrooper and combat cameraman. He was stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and had Deployments and temporary duty assignments in West Africa and the Middle East. Richard’s enlistment term ended on August 18, 2015 and he drove to California to start his Fall 2015 undergraduate career 6 days later.

During Richard’s undergraduate program he worked in the SSG Matthew Thompson Veterans Resource Center certifying VA education benefits and organizing philanthropic and recreational events for the military-connected community. As a former student and backup Certifying Official, Richard obtained first-hand insight into the unique challenges Concordia student veterans and dependents face. Richard’s goals are to remove all potential barriers between students and their educational goals and ensure easy transitions from military to college life by fostering a veteran-friendly community. Richard has been serving as the Director since 2021 and is currently taking night classes to pursue a Juris Doctor degree.