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James Richards
Mr. Richards joins Cornerstone Government Affairs after a distinguished decade-long career in the executive and legislative branches of the federal government.
Mr. Richards’ most recent experience included serving as Chief of Staff to Congressman Steve Pearce (R-NM). Responsibilities included oversight and direction of congressional staff, management of congressional budget as well as general oversight and direction of the legislative, political and campaign activities of the Congressman’s Washington and New Mexico operations.
Prior to joining Congressman Pearce, Mr. Richards served as the Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Relations at the United States Department of Agriculture. In this role, he was responsible for managing the Department’s relations with Federal, State and Local governments to ensure USDA programs, policies and procedures are communicated to appropriate agencies, including Congress.
Mr. Richards has also served as an appropriations associate in the offices of Congressman Henry Bonilla (R-TX) and Congressman Joe Skeen (R-NM). In the case of his work with Mr. Bonilla, Mr. Richards was responsible for all appropriations and legislation pertaining to the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, HUD and the EPA. While with Mr. Skeen, Mr. Richards’ responsibilities included the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Commerce, Justice, State, Veterans Affairs, HUD and the EPA. In both cases, there was special emphasis on matters pertaining to the Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.
Prior to his government service, Mr. Richards was the General Manager of a multi-million dollar wholesale and retail business in New Mexico and a small business owner in Arizona. Mr. Richards also served as an interrogator and intelligence specialist on active duty in the U.S. Army with extensive experience throughout Southwest Asia. While in the Army, he graduated as Distinguished Honor Graduate of the Defense Language Institute and Foreign Language Center’s Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Dialect courses. Mr. Richards grew up on his family’s 5th generation cattle ranch in Southwest New Mexico and attended New Mexico State University.
jim@cgagroup.com
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