Candidate Statement: Christina Richey

Christina Richey

Nominated Office: Nominating Committee

Affiliation: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Position/title: Program Manager in Planetary Science Research and Analysis

PhD institution: The University of Alabama at Birmingham (2011)

Areas of scientific interest:

  • Laboratory astrophysics
  • Science management
  • Proposal development
  • General administration and leadership positions
  • Workplace climate surveys
  • General inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility efforts

AAS positions & dates:

  • Legacy Fellow, American Astronomical Society (2020 – present)
  • Member, AAS Site Visit Oversight Committee (2019 – present)
  • Co-chair, Professional Cultural and Climate Subcommittee, Division for Planetary Sciences (2016 – 2017)
  • Chair, AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy (CSWA) (2015 – 2017)
  • Member, AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy (CSWA) (2013 – 2015; 2017 – 2020)
  • Member, Federal Relations Subcommittee, Division for Planetary Sciences (2010 – 2013)

Other relevant positions and experience:

  • Co-chair, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Working Group of the Planetary Science Division AGs, NASA Assessment/Analysis Group (2019 – present)
  • Member, HST Anonymizing Proposal Review Working Group, Hubble Space Telescope (2017 – 2018) *NASA HQ Group Service Awardee, 2020
  • Member, NASA HQ Working Group on Implicit Bias in Peer Review, NASA Headquarters (2016 – 2018)

Candidate Statement:

The role of the AAS Nominating Committee is to nominate Officers and At-Large Trustees for election by the Members of the AAS. As such, the Nominating Committee is extremely important to the success of the professional society. Bringing a diverse candidate list, comprised of people who will strive to represent the full professional society is critical. Given my background and activities within the communities served by the AAS, my network of colleagues spanning the entirety of astrophysics and planetary science, and my record of service for our greater community, particularly within the AAS, I bring significant expertise to the Nominating Committee. I will work tirelessly as a member of the Nominating Committee to ensure we bring forward a diverse slate of candidates for your votes, and that those candidates’ intentions are for the betterment of our professional society, and most importantly, represent the diverse membership of our society.