Operations Division Chief
Cell: 971-401-1978
Email: richard.higgins@multco.us
Richard brings over a decade of experience in emergency management and humanitarian coordination in the northeastern US, southeast Asia, and the Pacific building local capacity in preparedness and contingency planning, coordinating and advising humanitarian partners on the delivery of aid and services, community engagement, volunteering, and advocating for the inclusion and protection of marginalized groups.
Before joining Multnomah County in November 2022, he served as the humanitarian advisor for the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea and managed a multi-agency national disaster management team that coordinates international and nongovernmental assistance for crises and emergencies. Prior to that he held a similar role in the Philippines. Richard is originally from Maine, where he worked for the state emergency management agency on long-term recovery and liaising with voluntary agencies.
Before entering the field of emergency management, Richard was an interpreter and translator of Japanese and English, working primarily in the automotive and aircraft industries in the private sector and in education, military affairs, and economics with the State Department. He holds a masters degree in interpretation and translation from the Middlebury (formerly Monterey) Institute of International Studies.
He is pleased to now call Portland his home and experiencing all the Pacific northwest has to offer.