Richard new chair of USHSR board

Written by Railway Age Staff
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Dan Richard, center, Chair of the USHSR Advisory Board.

The US High Speed Rail Association announced that Dan Richard has been selected as the new Chair of the USHSR Advisory Board.

Richard was officially confirmed during the recent High-Speed Rail Leadership Summit in San Jose, Calif.

Richard succeeds Rod Diridon Sr., who has served as Advisory Board Chair since 2011. Diridon will remain as Chairman Emeritus of the Advisory Board.

“We’re very proud to have Dan Richard as our new Advisory Board Chair,” said Andy Kunz, USHSR President. “Dan is a great leader in rail infrastructure development, and his involvement marks a significant milestone and major opportunity for USHSR and rail development in America.”

Richard, an attorney, currently serves as Chair of the California High Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA), having been appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012. Under Richard’s leadership, the Authority has begun construction of 119 miles of new infrastructure in the Central Valley, the first steps in a statewide high-speed network.

Richard has been a principal of Dan Richard Advisors since 2010. Prior to that he was managing partner and co-founder of Heritage Oak Capital Partners, an infrastructure finance firm, from 2007-09 and was senior vice president of public policy and governmental relations at Pacific Gas and Electric Company from 1997-2006.

Richard was an elected member of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District from 1992-2004, where he served twice as president of the board.

“I look forward to stepping into this role and the opportunity to work with Andy and the USHSR team”, said Richard. “I absolutely believe in the vision of the national high-speed rail system – the 21st century Eisenhower interstate system for the entire country. Let’s dedicate ourselves to make the arguments why infrastructure is critical to this country, with high-speed rail as a fundamental component. We’re changing lives and can reshape the country by moving high-speed rail forward in the right way, a thoughtful way, but in an aggressive way.”

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