Place 4: Term ends in 2010.

Jeffrey Richard was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2004, and was elected Secretary that year as well. In 2005, he was named Secretary of the Board for a second one-year term.  His priorities for service include maintaining and strengthening ACC's accreditation with SACS; expanding opportunities for students throughout the region to pay less in ACC tuition by having their jurisdictions vote to join ACC; providing re-training/re-skilling services that enable adults to adapt to ever-changing marketplace demand; and pursuing new funding sources similar to the "Rising Star" scholarship program, in order to enable more students to pay for community college education.

In 2005 Mr. Richard was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Austin Area Urban League, one of more than 102 affiliates of the National Urban League, whose mission is to assist African Americans and disadvantaged persons to achieve economic and social equality.  Prior to the Urban League, Mr. Richard was Vice President of Education for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, where he studies policy and monitors outcomes in K-12 academic achievement and success.   

He has more than 15 years of consulting experience and has conducted performance improvement and technology consulting projects for school districts, local governments, and state agencies.  Mr. Richard has reviewed a number of school district budgets and operations, including Dallas ISD, Houston ISD, North East ISD, Knox County (Tennessee) Public Schools; and Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools.  He also was part of the professional consulting team that reviewed the technology infrastructure at Austin Community College as part of the Texas Comptroller's Performance Review. Additionally, he has served as an adjunct faculty member in Economics at Texas State University-San Marcos since 2001.

Jeffrey Richard holds a B.S. in Political Science and Economics from Texas Christian University, with Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude honors. He also earned a Master's degree in Urban Economic Development from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  In addition, he graduated from the Leadership Austin Class of 2001-02, and is also a licensed Christian Minister, serving in an associate capacity at the St. James Baptist Church in Austin, Texas.  He and his bride, Naomi, have a daughter.