James Richardson Endowment Fund
In honor of Professor James Richardson’s 40-year commitment to the success of the LSU Public Administration Institute (now known as the Department of Public Administration), the LSU Foundation, along with the E. J. Ourso College of Business and the Department of Public Administration, recently created the James A. Richardson Endowed Fund. The endowment will be used for general support of the department and will fund activities like student attendance at professional development conferences and faculty research support.
James Richardson
Richardson has spent more than 40 years at LSU and helped found the institute after
it was reorganized in 1973. He has also been a longtime figure on Louisiana’s Revenue
Estimating Conference, a panel that determines the revenue outlook for future fiscal
years and includes the governor, speaker of the House of Representatives, and president
of the Senate. He has counseled numerous governors over the years – including serving
as fiscal advisor to former Governor Buddy Roemer – and has played a major role in
revenue policy and tax reform initiatives throughout the state’s recent history. Richardson’s
reach has also extended beyond Louisiana’s borders as he has worked on a comprehensive
tax study for the state of Kansas and served as an advisor to Alabama’s Department
of Revenue.