NMCC’s Richard to serve as human resource manager
PRESQUE ISLE – Thomas Richard, who for the past 25 years has served as director of housing and residential life at Northern Maine Community College and is a proud alumnus of the institutions, has been tapped by President Timothy Crowley to serve as the campus human resources manager and assistant to the president.
Thomas Richard
Richard, who in addition to his role administering a comprehensive residential life program for NMCC, has held numerous positions with the Maine Education Association and in the past decade served as one of two individuals on campus appointed to oversee affirmative action. He assumed his new duties Jan. 1.
“Our efforts to expand our human resource services will be focused on greater service to employees,” said Crowley. “I am pleased that Mr. Richard has agreed to take on the challenge of creating a coordinated human resource function at NMCC. Tom brings an understanding of our college and system, as well as several years’ of experience with contract management. His expertise in safety education and training for the college staff will assist us as we expand on the programs now in place to meet the needs of our staff. This is an exciting change for NMCC, and I am confident that Mr. Richard will help us develop and deliver the services our employees need and deserve.”
In his new position, Richard is responsible for developing, implementing and evaluating a variety of services related to the day-to-day operations of the college, including recruitment, employee orientation, employee development and training, and employee safety and welfare.
Richard has gained a great deal of experience in the area of human resource management in his role as campus co-affirmative action officer, where he has served as a resource to disseminate materials and information pertaining to Maine Community College System and NMCC affirmative action policies and procedures.
From 1992-2007, Richard served as NMCC campus representative to the MEA. During that tenure he also held several leadership positions within the organization, including 12 years (1995-2007) as the MEA state president and chief negotiator, two years (2005-2007) as the Higher Education Council chairperson, and six years (2002-2008) on the Maine Community College System/MEA appeals committee.
In his responsibilities as director of housing and residential life, Richard has had oversight of five residential halls, the design and implementation of resident student social and academic development programs, recruitment, selection, training and evaluation of resident hall staff. He has also been very active in his service on campus committees, including the equal opportunity, environmental health and safety, the president’s council, campus crisis response management team, marketing, and the committee to conduct a campus self-study to prepare the college for an accreditation review.
“I’m proud to have contributed to the college’s growth and development during my tenure serving as the director of residential life. This position has allowed me to develop and strengthen my organizational, leadership and management skills while working closely with the college faculty, staff and students. Through this work, I believe I have developed unique relationships within the college community and have earned their trust and confidence,” said Richard. “I look forward to working with new and current staff and faculty in a variety of matters that will benefit them both personally and professionally.”
Richard holds an associate in applied science in business administration, which he earned in 1984 from then Northern Maine Vocational Technical Institute – a forerunner of NMCC. In 1991, he earned a bachelor of arts in behavioral science from the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and in 1994 completed his master’s degree in education from Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, N.H.
