Mentoring, Teaching Top His Marching Orders
Semper Fidelis, Latin for “always faithful,” are words that Chris Richie honors every day in his dedicated service as a colonel in the United States Marine Corps. He shows the same dedication to his beloved Auburn University.
Richie, an instructor at the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, is the highest ranking Marine serving in the state of Alabama.
He has enjoyed his opportunities for advancement in his Marine career, but Richie says he also
loves residing with his family in Auburn and plans to remain there after retiring from the Corps in summer 2022.
“Auburn is a special place,” he says with a smile.
Richie’s leadership resume, in addition to his many other military duties and combat-ready service over the years, is impressive and it has Auburn written all over it.
He serves as the Marine Corps advisor to Air University, a faculty instructor in the Department of Leadership, director of the Air War College Executive Leadership Series and part-time instructorfor Auburn’s Harbert College of Business.
He was selected as a 2021 Air War College “Instructor of the Year.”
“What I thought would be four years in the Marine Corps turned into 30 years as I grew into becoming a servant leader with the opportunity to positively influence the lives of those I was privileged to lead,” he said.
What’s next for the 1992 Auburn business graduate?
“As part of my transition, I volunteered to be a Harbert Connects mentor, and I was honored to be brought on as a part-time instructor for the Harbert College of Business,” Richie said. “I find myself deeply gratified to have been given the opportunity to mentor students and prepare them for their professional and leadership journey.
“I am just happy to be living out my passions of teaching, mentoring, and developing future leaders.”
He offers this advice:
“I highly encourage all current students, recent graduates and even older graduates like me to support the Harbert Connects Mentorship program,” Richie said. “Through my volunteer work, I have personally grown as an Auburn man while spending quality time with students who have such a bright future.
“After all, that is the beauty and spirit of Auburn — not only being successful in our chosen fields, but also giving back and inspiring the next generation of Auburn men and women.
“We all have a great legacy to uphold and be proud of.”
