Richard joined Georgia Tech in 2023 and focuses on energy and cleantech company formation, market strategy, funding, and partnerships in support of faculty led research and resulting startups. His domain expertise is in regulated and competitive energy markets, energy infrastructure development, project finance, go-to-market strategies, energy policy, multi-stakeholder negotiations and process improvement.

Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Richard co-founded several successful startups including Merit Sustainable Infrastructure, served as VP of Project Development for First Solar, and held leadership positions with power grid operator ERCOT, Energy Management Associates, Electronic Data Systems and Tenneco. Since 2007, Richard has led project development resulting in over 4,000 megawatts (nominally $4 billion) of operating solar and wind projects across the US. Most recently he has spearheaded development of ATL Cleantech Connect, a partnership between the Strategic Energy Institute at GT and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce to grow the clean energy and sustainability startup ecosystem in and around Atlanta.

Richard holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, a BA in Economics from Southern Methodist University and attend the Advance Management Program (AMP) at the Harvard Business School.

Laura Taylor is the director of Energy Policy and Innovation Center (EPIcenter) at Georgia Tech. 

Taylor has more than 30 years of experience in economics research, outreach, and policy engagement in the Southeast. Her research focuses on policy evaluation and the valuation of natural resources and the environment, including measuring the broader economic benefits associated with improved air, water, and ecosystem quality. Recent applications include understanding the land-use and community impacts of renewable energy deployment; quantifying the health effects of air pollution; and improving benefits estimation for policies designed to reduce human mortality. Her research has received funding from a variety of sources including the U.S. EPA, USDA, U.S. Department of Interior and the National Science Foundation.    

Prior to her leadership role at the EPIcenter, Taylor served as the chair of the School of Economics at Georgia Tech from 2018-2024. During her time as chair, the School of Economics increased its size significantly, hiring 19 new faculty members, and the number of students pursuing a major in economics increased by more than 50%. Economics also expanded its teaching and research in several areas including health, energy, environment, globalization, theory, and data analytics. The school’s bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. programs achieved federal STEM designation in 2019, reflecting the curriculum’s tech-centered approach to liberal arts education and emphasis on using mathematical and statistical models. The school’s undergraduate economics program is ranked No. 1 among public universities in Georgia and No. 21 among public universities nationally in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. Prior to joining the faculty at Georgia Tech in 2018, Taylor was director of the Center for Environmental and Resource Economic Policy at North Carolina State University from 2007-2018.  

Taylor is an elected fellow and past president of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists. She has held numerous advisory board positions, including the environmental economics subcommittee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s science advisory board and the legislative research commission advisory subcommittee on offshore energy exploration for the North Carolina General Assembly.