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Usie Raymond Richards was
born to the late Verne I. Richards and Ernestine S. Lenhardt
Richards on January 12, 1956. Usie Richards is married to
Beverly Henry, and the father of Amarae, Nneka, Nailah, and
Askia. He attained a catholic education at both St.
Patrick’s School and St. Joseph High School, which he
completed in 1973. In his pursuit of higher education Usie
Richards began his studies at Fisk University in Nashville,
Tennessee, in August of 1973. In January of 1974 he became
one of the first students to enroll in a dual university
program offered at Meharry Medical College. In May of 1977
he graduated from both Fisk University and Meharry Medical
College with a B.A. and Certificate in Health Care
Administration and Planning.
Determined to return home, he
began his professional career on September 27, 1977 at the
Virgin Islands Department of Health, with the Bureau of
Health Planning and Resources Development, as a Health Plan
Developer II. He worked at the Department of Health until
1995, when he left as the Assistant Director of Health
Planning for the Bureau of Health Planning and Statistics.
In 1995 he joined the Legislative Branch as a Planner with
the Committee on Health and Government Operations and has
also held the position of Special Assistant/Researcher in
the 24th Legislature.
He was elected to public
office in 1988 to the St. Croix District Board of Elections
and served as that Board’s Chairman from 1989 to 1991.
Richards served three 4-year terms on the Boards of
Elections and also was Chairman of the Virgin Islands Joint
Boards of Elections for 10 ½ years of the 12 years he served
the Election System of the Virgin Islands. As an active
member of the Independent Citizens Movement Party, he served
three terms as the Chairman of the Territorial Committee of
the ICM party.
As a freshman Senator in the
25th Legislature he served as Minority Leader and
Coordinator of the St. Croix Legislative Caucus. As a
re-elected Senator of the 26th Legislature, Usie
Richards served as Secretary of Intergovernmental and
Territorial Affairs and in 2004 was elected as an At-Large
Representative to the National Black Caucus of State
Legislators (NBCSL) Executive Committee.
He is a former
Vice-President of the St. Croix Parent, Teacher & Student
Council
and currently President
of the Virgin Islands Basketball Federation. He served for
two years as the Secretary-General of the Caribbean
Basketball Confederation before he was elected as its
current President. He is a member of the Central Board of
the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) for the
Americas; he held the position of President of the Permanent
Commission on Legal Matters, Statutes and Internal
Regulations for FIBA Americas; currently the first
Vice-President of the Central American and Caribbean
Basketball Confederation (CONCECABA) and a member of
International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) Commission on
Legal Matters.
STAFF MEMBERS
St. Croix
Richard Wilson, Chief of Staff..........................
712-2276
Desiree
Allen......................................................
712-2320
La-Verne Joseph
............................................... 712-2281
O'Real
Samuel...................................................
712-2324
Gwen
Brady.......................................................
712-2207
Rasheem Cornelius
........................................... 712-2319
Alva
Clarke........................................................
712-2395
Conference
Room.............................................. 712-2229
Fax......................................................................
712-2372
E-mail.............................
senatorrichards@hotmail.com
St. Thomas
Rana Pratt
.........................................................
693-3569
Joyce Ann Harrigan..........................................
693-3507
Renee Benjamin
................................................ 693-3607
Steven Frett
.......................................................
693-3608
Fax......................................................................
693-3647 |
