Jeremy Richards infuses leadership development with cultural studies

Jeremy Richards (’10) chose the M.A. in Cultural Studies for its interdisciplinary, practice-based approach. An accomplished radio producer, writer, and actor rooted in the Seattle arts community, Richards desired a program that would stretch his creativity while broadening his professional options. As a graduate student, he focused on the writings and music of Friedrich Nietzsche, culminating in the creation and production of “Nietzsche! The Musical.”

Upon graduating, Richards made a career shift and is currently a Leadership Development Program Manager for Amazon, where he develops and facilitates training on topics ranging from communication and emotional intelligence to the neuroscience of innovation. Richards also produces and hosts an internal podcast about Amazon’s leadership principles and stories from a diverse range of leaders across the company.

Richards views his cultural studies training as an asset. “Leadership development requires a lot of introspection and dialogue about organizational culture–what defines the culture, how that culture evolves, and how the application of values derived from that culture plays out internally and externally,” says Richards. “I leverage my studies to think critically about assumptions we inherit and the modest aspirations to inspire creative, compassionate, and thoughtful leadership. How those intentions measure against reality, however, is always a work in progress.”