Leslie S. Richards | |
|---|---|
| General Manager of SEPTA | |
| In office January 1, 2020 –November 29, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Jeffrey Knueppel |
| Succeeded by | Scott Sauer (Acting) |
| Secretary of Transportation of Pennsylvania | |
| In office May 11, 2015 –December 31, 2019 | |
| Governor | Tom Wolf |
| Preceded by | Barry Schoch |
| Succeeded by | Yassmin Gramian |
| Member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners | |
| In office January 3,2012 –January 2015 Served with Josh Shapiro,Bruce Castor | |
| Preceded by | Jim Matthews |
| Succeeded by | Val Arkoosh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 3,1967 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Ira Richards |
| Residence | Whitemarsh Township,Pennsylvania |
| Alma mater | Brown University University of Pennsylvania |
Leslie Richards (born April 3,1967) is the former general manager of SEPTA,the public transportation agency serving the Philadelphia area. [1] She previously served as a member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation,from 2015 to 2019 under Governor Tom Wolf. [2]
Richards earned a bachelor's degree in economics and urban studies from Brown University,and a master's degree in regional planning from the University of Pennsylvania. She has three children with her husband,Ira:Rebecca,Benjamin,and Sophie. [3]
Richards was elected to the Whitemarsh Township Board of Supervisors in 2007,and became chairwoman of the board in 2008. [4]
Richards was elected to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2011. Her election,along with that of fellow Democrat Josh Shapiro,marked the first time in over a century that Democrats controlled the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. [5] Richards served as Montgomery County's representative on the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. [6] Richards also serves on the board of SEPTA. [7]
Pennsylvania political operatives had mentioned Richards as a potential Congressional candidate in Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district. [8] Richards declined to run for the seat after incumbent Congressman Jim Gerlach retired in 2014. [9]
In 2015,following the election of Democratic Governor Tom Wolf,Richards was nominated to serve as Secretary of Transportation of Pennsylvania. She was subsequently confirmed by the Pennsylvania State Senate in May 2015. [2]
In 2017,Richards was appointed the first female chair of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission as well as the Public Private Partnership (P3) Board. [10]
On November 21,2019,Richards was named as SEPTA's new general manager,replacing Jeff Knueppel in January 2020. [1]
On October 25,2024,Richards announced she would be stepping down from her position as SEPTA’s general manager &CEO on November 29,2024. [11] She then joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design as Professor of Practice. [12] Richards was also to start a role at the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences,Engineering,and Medicine in January 2025. [13]
| Award | Organization | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Urbanist Changemaker of the Year | 5th Square | 2022 |
| International Woman of the Year | Women's Transportation Seminar | 2018 |
| Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation | Conference of Minority Transportation Officials | 2018 |
| Above and Beyond Distinguished Service Award | City and State PA | 2018 |
| Service to Humanity | March of Dimes of Southeastern Pennsylvania | 2018 |
| Female Innovator of the Year | The Stevie Awards | 2017 |
| Female Executive of the Year | The Stevie Awards | 2017 |
| Women of Distinction | Philadelphia Business Journal | 2017 |