Richard France – Board Development & Governance Chair
Richard is a strategic planner at Estolano LeSar Advisors, where he has been involved in a variety of active transportation, transit-oriented development, and equitable economic development projects.
Of note, he authored the LA2050 Report, which assessed the health of the region based on indicators of human development and put forth a vision for a more inclusive and prosperous Los Angeles. For PrepareLA, he worked with the American Red Cross to identify strategies to help vulnerable communities in Los Angeles County better prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. His work in active transportation includes coordinating a study to improve bike and pedestrian access to transit oriented districts for the County of Los Angeles, and working with the Southern California Association of Governments to host tactical urbanism events throughout the region. Richard also serves as a technical assistance provider for a number of California Climate Investment programs, including the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities and Transformative Climate Communities programs.
Richard sits on the Advisory Board for Investing in Place, a bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group whose mission is to support equitable transportation investments that make our communities safer, stronger, and more just. He also sits on the board for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and has taught at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Richard received a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and his M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA.