Kinesiology Grad Joins the Indianapolis Colts
Brian A.D. Richardson Jr., MS kinesiology ’13, has been named diversity, equity and inclusion director for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. Richardson joins the Colts after serving in the same position for the Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Bloomington, Ill.
Richardson will work across all Colts departments to develop and implement strategies around social responsibility, inclusive hiring, supplier diversity, and education and training. He also will work with external stakeholders and partners to support and promote diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the community.
“What we’re doing is trying to create a better environment, better opportunities for those coming after us. At the same time, how can we salvage the experiences of the people who are currently here,” Richardson said in an interview with WISH-TV in Indianapolis. “I’m looking forward to working with people who laid the ground work to make this happen.”
We asked Brian to reflect back on his time at SIUE and he shared these thoughts with us:
What is a favorite memory from your time on campus?
My favorite memory is meeting my wife Kira Richardson (formerly Kira Benjamin, Class of 2012) and later getting married on campus in 2015.
How did your time at SIUE help prepare you for your new position?
The best word to sum up my experience at SIUE and how it helped prepare me for my future career is “growth.”
I had an opportunity to learn and grow from an amazing staff as a young professional serving as the GA for Club Sports. Working in Campus Rec gave me valuable experiences and teachable moments that I rely on to this day working in the sports industry. Keith Becherer, Nathan Scott, and Dave Hagedorn were great mentors for me while I was on campus. I took from each of them, and many others in the department, traits and lessons such as how to be professional, how to lead with respect and appreciation for all, and how to set and maintain high standards for myself and never settle for less.
The hands-on experience I obtained, as well as the coaching and support along the way, are all things I utilize when mentoring students and young professionals who are trying to navigate their next stage of life. It is my way of paying it forward to those who poured into me when I was in their shoes.
What do you think are some of the biggest DEI challenges facing universities?
- Access to equitable opportunities and resources
- Bias situations that take place inside and outside of the classroom
- Representation of BIPOC in leadership roles across campus and outside of DEI positions
What advice would you give to a current SIUE student?
The best advice I could give to current students is to make the most out of their opportunities. It doesn't matter where you start, but where you end up. I've lived this over the course of my career, starting off working in residence life as a hall director to now working in the NFL.
The lesson I learned was that your route or journey forward in life—professionally or personally—might not look like someone else's and that is okay. Trust your process, because there is progress in that process. That progress can be the preparation you need to step into things you've never imagined or thought possible.
