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Rich is a PhD candidate in Computer Science, where his research focuses on high-subjectivity tasks in natural language processing, including applications for vaccine misinformation and automatic evaluation of machine-generated text. At Duke, Rich is President of DACC, a consulting organization for advanced and professional degree students. There, he built up the pro-bono consulting program to serve more than 25 client engagements last year and has overseen more than 50 such engagements as President: 2-3 month projects with companies and non-government organizations staffed with 5 consultants at 5-10 hours per week. He also serves as Treasurer for GPSG, managing their $360K budget. Rich is familiar with the Duke Board of Trustees through his role on the strategic engagement committee, and is a member of the Advisory Committee for Investment Responsibility (ACIR) to President Price. Rich is from Sweden, and loves to learn about new cultures and languages.
Over the past 7 years, I have had the opportunity to sit on various boards and committees in operational, advisory, and strategic roles. I have both restructured struggling organizations as well as maintained thriving ones. My interest in the Young Trustee position stems from my understanding of the importance of boards in helping steer the long-term direction of pro-social organizations. I believe I am well-positioned to contribute meaningful insights and perspectives to the Board of Trustees, and hope that I will gain a deeper understanding of the institutional issues facing Duke.