Dr. Richard Stafford

Biography

Richard Stafford is a Distinguished Service Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College. He has dedicated his career to public service and has held significant roles including Chief Executive Officer of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, where he spearheaded major regional initiatives in governance, economic development, and education in the Pittsburgh region. Prior to this, Stafford served as the Secretary of Legislative Affairs under Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh. His extensive experience also includes roles as Director of Research Issues for the Thornburgh Governor’s Committee and as a Research Associate at Carnegie Mellon's Urban Systems Institute. Throughout his career, he has balanced academic pursuits with professional activities in civic roles, launching family-owned businesses, and consulting for various organizations. Stafford's research and teaching focus on the intersection of politics and policy-making, particularly at the state and local government levels, and he has directed initiatives that led to the creation of CMU’s Traffic21 Institute and Metro21: Smart Cities Institute. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics and an M.S. in Public Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

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