Josh Richards is an American attorney, technology strategist, and serves as the Policy Director at the Alliance for American Leadership, where he focuses on strengthening U.S. global leadership through foreign assistance, international partnerships, and responsible technology policy.
His work sits at the intersection of development, national security, and emerging technology. Richards has extensive experience supporting initiatives that advance economic resilience, environmental sustainability, and institutional capacity across developing and strategically significant regions. He currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer at Pacific Peering, where he leads global deployment of subsea infrastructure integrating climate-monitoring sensors, an effort that supports disaster resilience, scientific research, and data-driven development outcomes across vulnerable people groups in coastal and island states.
Richards also plays a leadership role in multilateral coordination through the United Nations Joint Task Force on SMART Subsea Cables, where he has helped shape international frameworks for deploying dual-use infrastructure that advances both connectivity and environmental monitoring. His work has included engagement with multilateral development banks, national governments, and scientific institutions to align infrastructure investment with public-interest outcomes and long-term sustainability.
Early in his career, Richards served in policy and legal roles across the U.S. government, including the Pentagon, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. House of Representatives. His work has spanned security cooperation, economic policy, and oversight of public resources, including efforts to combat fraud and protect taxpayer-funded programs.
In the private and nonprofit sectors, he has advised governments, NGOs, and international organizations on strategy, governance, and technology adoption, with experience supporting institutions such as the U.S. Treasury, State Department, and multilateral forums. His work emphasizes the role of public-private partnerships and innovation in scaling development outcomes and strengthening U.S. strategic positioning globally.
Richards is a Senior Fellow with AI2030 and Tech Policy Fellow with the Aspen Institute, where his research focuses on the role of emerging technologies in governance, economic development, and international cooperation.
Born in France to American linguists, Richards spent much of his childhood living across Africa, Europe, and Asia, including seven formative years in Central Africa. This early exposure to developing-world contexts continues to inform his work on foreign assistance, global development, and U.S. engagement abroad.
