Rachael Richards has served Aspen as a Pitkin County Commissioner, Aspen City Council member and Mayor.
ABOUT RACHAEL
Her Real Experience gets real results for the Aspen community
Past Chair, Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST)
Past Chair of the Water Quality and Quantity Committee of the Northwest Council of Governments
Received Roaring Fork Conservancy’s ‘River Conservator of the Year’ award
Past member of Colorado Counties Inc and National Association of Counties Public Lands Steering Committees and the Colorado Municipal League Policy committee
Received ‘Dedication to Constituents and Colorado’ award from peers at Colorado Counties Inc.
Co-founder and Co-Chair of Counties and Commissioners Acting Together (CCAT)
Past Club 20 Board of Directors and Executive Committee, the Voice of the West Slope
Received Club 20’s ‘Bridge Builder’ & ‘Outstanding Service to the People of the West Slope’ awards
Graduate, Harvard JFK School of Leadership for Senior Executives in State and Local Government
Participant in the UC Denver Rocky Mountain Program, the Aspen Institute Executive Seminar, and American Leadership Forum (ALF)
biography
Rachael E. Richards hails from Silver Spring Maryland. She moved to Aspen in 1978 and has experienced 45 years of change in the region. She has deep respect for our Aspen’s history while always keeping her eyes on current and future needs. She has served a combined 30 years in public office.
Working with many others, Rachael has lead major policy initiatives with the Aspen Pitkin Housing Authority, the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, the Aspen Parks & Recreation Department, the Early Childhood Center, the Roaring Fork Transit Authority, and the Northwest Council of Governments Water Quality and Quantity committee’s participation in the Colorado Water Plan.
As Mayor of Aspen, Rachael initiated the annexation of the Burlingame property for Affordable Housing, secured the Pomegranate Hotel for redevelopment into the Aspen Country Inn rental housing with a priority for seniors, and construction of the Truscott Housing addition.
During that time Rachael advanced other community goals such as increasing Aspen ability to secure vital trails and Open Space via a ½ penny sales tax, the design and development of the Aspen Recreational Center, and advancement of RFTA into Colorado’s first Regional Transit Authority with equitable funding valley-wide.
Passionate about our natural environment, Rachael served on both the Colorado and the National Association of Counties Public Lands steering committee, working to support Forest Serice funding and keep fracking out of The Thompson Divide.
Always concerned our residents’ needs, she worked to renew the Healthy Community Fund to support health and human services and led the campaign to build a modern ambulance facility. Understanding the threats of climate change, drought, and Front Range transmountain diversions- Rachel led the campaign to create the Pitkin County Health Rivers and Streams fund to support wetland restoration, improve water quality and protect our watershed.
Rachael has held leadership roles for many local, regional, and statewide issues. She has served as board member and secretary of Club 20, an association of Western Slope businesses, governments, and individuals. She has served on the Colorado Municipal League Policy Committee and is a past chair of the Colorado Association of Ski Towns.
Before having her son Jacob, she worked in local restaurants, owned a newspaper wholesale business, and later combined her public service with a 20-year role as the advertising distribution manager for Aspen Activities Center. She lives in deed-restricted housing, and enjoys camping, concerts, community events, gardening, reading, and baking cookies for her co-workers and friends.