The Bicycle Coalition’s Annual Gala and Awards Dinner is set for September 29 at Front and Palmer. The night promises auctions, a dinner, and an awards ceremony where we’ll be recognizing many people who’ve made the Philadelphia Region a better place for bicyclists. Among them: PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards.
Before working for PennDOT she worked on transportation in both the private and public sector in Philadelphia. She is a lifelong PA resident who was confirmed as Secretary in May.
In the private sector, Secretary Richards managed infrastructure projects, including trail development while senior project manager at a women-owned civil engineering firm. In the public sector she served as the vice chair to the Montgomery County Board of Commissions and as chair of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. She also was on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and the Greater Valley Forge Transportation Management Association (GVFTMA).
In 2015, as Chair of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Secretary Richards used her leadership position to work with the other four Pennsylvania counties to create the first ever “line item” in the Pennsylvania Transportation Improvement Program solely dedicated to trails. This precedent setting action resulted in the programming of $5 million for advancing Circuit Trail Projects.
Secretary Richards is receiving an award tonight for her support for building out the Circuit Trails network throughout the five southeastern Pennsylvania counties. Her work has been exemplary and instrumental in energizing the forward momentum to reach the goal of completing the 750-mile network by 2040.
Our Annual Gala and Awards Dinner is 9/29. To register, click here. And see all auction items at our Bidding For Good page.