Col. Ryan E. “RY” Richardson, Commander of the 42nd Air Base Wing at Maxwell Air Force Base, will deliver the keynote address to Troy University graduates during the fall commencement ceremony at the Montgomery Campus on Dec. 19.

More than 140 students are expected to be awarded degrees during the ceremony, which is set for 7 p.m. inside the Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts on the Montgomery Campus.

Col. Richardson leads all base operating, infrastructure and services support for 42,000 active duty, Reserve, civilian, and contract personnel, students, and families at Maxwell and Gunter Annex in direct support of Air University, 908th Airlift Wing, Air Force Materiel Command units, Defense Information Systems Agency and more than 40 other mission partners. As Maxwell’s installation commander, he partners with local officials across a three-county,12-city region with an annual military economic impact of $2.1 billion.

Col. Richardson received his commission in 1998 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at South Dakota State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology (pre-med). He has commanded at the group and squadron levels and previously served in a variety of assignments at major command, forward operating agency, secretariat, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, combatant command, and Joint Staff levels. Col. Richardson has deployed in support of operations Joint Force and Enduring Freedom. He has served forward as the Director, Manpower, Personnel, and Services in support of operations Inherent Resolve and Freedom’s Sentinel and the Resolute Support mission.

Col. Richardson’s previous assignment was as Director, Manpower, Personnel, and Services, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Col. Richardson earned a Master of Arts in Business Administration and Management from Webster University in St. Louis, Mo. in 2009, and earned a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College, Ft. McNair in 2018. He also successfully completed Squadron Officer School in 2003, Air Command and Staff College in 2011, the Strategic Policy Fellowship in 2012, the Data Science for Data Leadership program in 2020 and the Leading Strategically program from the center for Creative Leadership in Colorado Springs in 2021. During his military career, Col. Richardson has been awarded the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster and the Army Commendation Medal.