Richard took the Executive Director role at the Skagit Watershed Council in November 2013. He has a Bachelor’s degree in zoology from Oklahoma State University and a Master’s degree in salmon ecology from the University of Washington. Richard moved to Washington in 1994 to follow his love of fishing and to live large in the great outdoors. He has worked in sockeye salmon research camps in Bristol Bay, Alaska; lake trout research in Yellowstone National Park; Chinook salmon research in north central California; private consulting work for a geotechnical consulting firm in Seattle; and more recently for 13 years at the Hood Canal Coordinating Council as their Director for Habitat Programs. He is married with two, young children and lives on Mount Vernon Hill. They love to fish, hike, hunt for mushrooms, play soccer, snowboard, and spend time with friends and family.