Place of Birth: New York, NY
Party Affiliation: Independent Citizens Movement
Term: Fourth

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 24^th 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 25^th Legislature he served as Minority Leader and Coordinator of the St. Croix Legislative Caucus.  As a re-elected Senator of the 26^th Legislature, Usie Richards served as Secretary of Intergovernmental and Territorial Affairs and served as President of the 27^th Legislature. In 2008 he was re-elected for a third-term as an At-Large Representative to the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) Executive Committee. During the 27^th Legislature he also served on the Governing Board of the Council of State Governments and an Executive Committee member of the Council of State Governments-Eastern Regional Conference.

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.

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