Rick is a senior consultant with 5 Lakes Energy, where he serves as Executive Director and President of the Michigan Municipal Association for Utility Issues. MI-MAUI provides technical support and a collective voice to local governments to improve utility services, reduce costs and influence utility regulatory processes. Rick has 20 years’ experience in energy and sustainable enterprise research and education, and served as managing director of the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan from 2008 to 2013. He has held senior executive and program leadership positions at The Aspen Institute, Bainbridge Graduate Institute and World Resources Institute.
Rick serves as Board Secretary of Soulardarity in Highland Park, Michigan, and on the Board of Directors of The Stewardship Network. He is past executive director and currently an officer and Board member of Seattle-based Washington Public Interest Research Group (WashPIRG) and the WashPIRG Foundation, grassroots organizations advocating consumer protections and government reform. He holds an MBA with Environmental Management certificate from the University of Washington and BS in Political Science from Yale University. He and his family live in Ann Arbor Township, Michigan.