Richard has more than 20 years’ experience in strategy and policy advisory, including significant leadership experience in strategic planning, organizational design and change, and ensuring delivery. He has led teams in dozens of countries and advised a range of senior stakeholders, including government officials, corporate leaders, and multilateral decision-makers. Rich spent 8 years at McKinsey & Co, based out of their Midwest US, Middle East, and Southeast Asian offices. He also spent 3 years leading policy advisory teams in Kazakhstan, Haiti, and Viet Nam under the personal direction of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Rich and his family live in Vietnam, where he works with both public and private sector clients, as well as the international development community.

Rich has worked with the telos institute for several years—as an executive coach, a facilitator of telos’ signature “venture” offering, and a member of the leadership team focused on strategic partnerships and product development.

Progress, professional or otherwise, hinges on embracing paradoxes and seeking improved balance amongst them: independence vs. dependence, working vs. living, leading vs. serving, deciding vs. collaborating, innovating vs. delivering, determinism vs. opportunism, empathizing vs. directing. Skilled leaders don’t see these mindsets at odds with each other, but rather as a portfolio of mindsets to be tailored and deployed to meet the needs of specific contexts. Rich aims to help leaders be more introspective about their styles, their effectiveness, and their personal happiness—and to imagine and design an expanded skillset proactively through an inquisitive dialog.

Rich received a degree in English Literature from Brigham Young University and his MBA with emphases in strategy and policy from Weatherhead (CWRU). He attended both schools on full-ride scholarships and graduated at the top of both classes; he is an Eagle Scout.

Rich’s wife, Heather, is an accomplished artist who studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art. They have four children, ages 7-18, who have been both the primary motivation for their global lifestyle and (hopefully!) the primary beneficiaries.