Sarah Richards is an Economist from AECOM's Buildings + Places business in Richmond, Virginia. She is a Senior Associate with AECOM's Economic + Advisory practice and holds a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

Providing technical support to projects 

As a former employee of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the City of Norfolk, she brings a strong understanding of local planning processes and statewide funding mechanisms for economic development to her work at AECOM.

During her career at AECOM, Sarah has enjoyed opportunities to both lead and provide technical support on a wide range of projects, including multiple feasibility and market studies, strategic economic development, recovery and resiliency plans, guidance documents for grantees, environmental impact studies and assessments, joint land use studies, and fiscal neutrality analyses, among others.

Inspired to join the industry

"I enjoyed my work as a public sector planner, but really wanted the opportunity to be a part of the dynamic teams of consultants I worked with who I saw helping to drive projects, plans and processes forward," explains Sarah.  

"I wanted to help organizations take the next steps in realizing their visions for a better future, whether it be through strategic planning and analysis to help them make critical decisions about next steps, helping them navigate funding, financing, and permitting processes, or helping them apply for additional funding and resources to implement the next phase of their projects. I love being the person who helps craft the roadmap to project success. I wanted to help organizations take the next steps in realizing their visions for a better future. I love being the person who helps craft the roadmap to project success.”

Enjoyable and impactful projects 

Discussing her favorite AECOM project, Sarah highlights that one of the most enjoyable and impactful projects she has had the privilege to work on was as the project manager and technical lead for the development of roadmaps to economic recovery for two Planning and Development Councils (PDCs) in West Virginia.

"The region struggled not only with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also with structural pre-pandemic economic difficulties, primarily the continued loss of coal and manufacturing jobs over the past 20-30 years, compounded by population loss and disinvestment in those communities," says Sarah. 

As part of the project, the team conducted over 40 stakeholder interviews and conversations with residents, businesses and community leaders.

"I was deeply humbled and awed by their resilience, drive to succeed, and their strong dedication to community building. We started out with a defined scope of work, which we continuously shaped and evolved to best respond to the unique goals and circumstances of the project," shares Sarah. 

"Our stakeholder conversations, initial research and analysis identified issues such as a lack of access to childcare, fresh produce, entertainment and recreation opportunities, and decent, attainable housing were also driving away long-time residents, and deterring new investment and growth in the area. This led us to focus on strategies which would provide and incentivize more community-serving retail, services, and recreational opportunities that would benefit existing residents, attract new ones, and improve quality of life for all, in addition to the recommendations we made around economic development and diversification."

Helping communities strengthen local economies 

Sarah is passionate about helping communities diversify and strengthen their local economies, provide high-quality jobs and workforce development opportunities for current residents, and attract new, sustainable investment and growth.

She explains: "I have seen firsthand how difficult it is to break the cycle of poverty and lack of access to opportunity. Most people want the same thing — the opportunity to live a dignified, self-sufficient existence, provide for their families, and feel a sense of belonging and physical and financial security in their lives and communities. As part of the project, we conducted over 40 stakeholder interviews and conversations with residents, businesses and community leaders. I was deeply humbled and awed by their resilience, drive to succeed, and their strong dedication to community building. We started out with a defined scope of work, which we continuously shaped and evolved to best respond to the unique goals and circumstances of the project.”

Positively impacting the community 

Sarah shares a story of how her work has positively impacted the community. "It’s very gratifying to be asked to help our clients with the implementation phases of the plans and studies we do for them," she says. 

"Helping our clients make measurable progress towards their goals is one of my favorite things about my job. For the economic recovery roadmaps project I worked on, I was also able to support our client by helping them with the process of applying for a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant to enable them to study more specific opportunities for economic development and diversification in a region. My role allows me to start important conversations around economic development and opportunity in the communities we serve, and encourage our clients to form partnerships with other community leaders and organizations to drive implementation and maintain momentum. Just the process of bringing stakeholders together during the planning phases helps to spark a deeper commitment, and we’ve seen many lasting community partnerships arise out of the initial work that we’ve done."

Sarah's role enables her to start important conversations around economic development and opportunity in the communities AECOM serves, and encourage clients to form partnerships with other community leaders and organizations, to drive implementation and maintain momentum.

Asking questions drives better outcomes

Sharing a piece of career advice, Sarah advises to always be curious and never stop asking questions. "I know sometimes we are hesitant to reach out to people, especially those we don’t know well. However, asking questions is one of the best ways to learn about the field, the organization, clients’ needs, goals, targeted outcomes for a specific effort, and their overall mission," says Sarah. "Not being afraid to ask questions ultimately helps us become better practitioners, because it allows us to gain a deeper understanding of how we can make the greatest impact through our work."

Undertake impactful work with AECOM 

From flexible work options that help balance the demands of work and life, to learning and growth programs that advance a career, and the potential of working on projects around the world - the career opportunities at AECOM are virtually limitless.

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