AU Leadership Series

Colonel Chris Richie, U. S. Marine Corps (Retired), is the Director, Auburn University Human Resource Development. He also serves as a part-time leadership instructor for the Harbert College of Business.

Prior to joining the Auburn family in July 2022, he served on faculty at the Air War College as the Marine Corps Advisor and instructor in the Department of Leadership and Warfighting. In addition to teaching core courses and advising students in a master’s program, he served as Director, Executive Leadership Outreach and the Course coordinator for the Art of Leading Large Organizations elective. The senior active duty Marine in Alabama, he served as a board member for the Alabama Military Hall of Honor.

After graduating from Auburn in 1992 (Business Management, NROTC, varsity track), Chris embarked on a 30-year career specializing in Aviation Command and Control (AC2). His military service took him to 20 countries, 10 states, and gave him a lifetime of global leadership experience. A keynote speaker and avid writer, he has published an Amazon best-selling children’s book and is an award-winning leadership author. He has earned three Master’s Degrees (MBA, Military Art, and Strategic Studies).

Chris has commanded at every rank from Lieutenant to Colonel and directed nine diverse organizations with increasing levels of size, scope and responsibility culminating with command of a Marine Air Control Group [2,500 people, $4 million annual operating budget, $266 million equipment assets]. From 2015-2017, he served as Board Chairman for the Marine Corps AC2 community (a worldwide organization exceeding 10,000 people). He served for two years in the United Arab Emirates as military liaison to the U.S. Ambassador and Emirati Armed Forces. He was recognized as the 2003 Marine Corps AC2 Officer of the year, the 2010 AC2 Unit of the year, a 2021 Air War College Instructor of the year, and the 2022 Director’s award for outstanding Servant Leadership.

He has been awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, 10 meritorious service and achievement medals, and multiple service awards while supporting humanitarian and combat operations around the globe. His most valued medal is what he calls the Invisible Medal (www.theinvisiblemedal.com), earned when you positively impact another person's life. His teaching and leadership philosophy is based on helping others achieve their full potential through the T-E-A-M-S principle (Train, Empower, Acknowledge, Mentor, and Serve). He is currently a Harbert Connects Mentor, a member of the Auburn NROTC Alumni Association Board of Directors, and is the Vice President for the East Alabama chapter of the Military Officer’s Association of America.