Stacy Richards, a 1978 Bucknell University graduate and Lewisburg resident who is founder and principal of Stacy Richards & Associates — a consulting firm focused on strategic planning and program implementation for sustainability and energy efficiency — will present Bucknell’s Virginia Travis Lectureship in Social Justice on Wednesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. in the Forum, Elaine Langone Center. The event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow in the Terrace Room.
Throughout her career, Richards has developed and managed numerous environmental policies, programs and organizations at the national, state and local levels. She was introduced to energy conservation and renewable energy policies and technology as a member of President Carter’s White House staff. Her career in public policy included positions as director of government affairs for the American Council of Engineering Companies and the international engineering firm URS Corporation in Washington, D.C.
During the planning and design of the $14 billion Central Artery/Tunnel Project in Boston, Richards managed a state-of-the-art interagency environmental review process that engaged as formal partners more than 70 agencies with regulatory oversight of the project using the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) during the project’s early design to not just avoid environmental harm, but to enhance the city’s livability during and after project construction.
During her tenure as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s first deputy secretary for pollution prevention and environmental assistance from 1996 to 1999, Richards received the national 1998 Innovations in State Governments Award for her contributions to multi-state policy development of environmental management systems.
In 2013, Richards authored the national award-winning Energizing Small Communities: A Guide to Greater Energy Independence and Economic Resiliency, a how-to manual based on the successful community-wide energy reduction initiative in New Berlin, Pa. that she designed and replicated in several other communities.
Richards founded and managed the Environmental Business Network in Pittsburgh and SEDA-Council of Governments’ Energy Resource Center in Lewisburg. Richards recently returned full-time to her consulting firm, which she founded in 1999. In her current role, she continues to provide climate change reduction strategic planning and program development to public and private sector clients.
Richards has served on professional and non-profit boards, including US EPA’s National Pollution Prevention Advisory Board, Governor Tom Ridge’s 21st Century Environmental Commission, Women in Government Relations, Women’s Transportation Seminar, Women in the Environment, the National Renewable Resources Institute, Transitions, Inc. and the League of Women Voters.
As a student at Bucknell, Richards served as a member of Mo Udall’s presidential campaign followed by a full-time internship with the Democratic National Committee in Washington. She has given back to Bucknell and other institutions by providing internships and for-credit projects for numerous undergraduate students.
The Virginia Travis Lectureship in Social Justice was endowed by her family and friends to commemorate her life and convictions. It is awarded to a member of the Bucknell or Lewisburg communities who has worked compassionately and diligently to promote justice and social change.