Robert A. Richard

Robert Richard is the President and Chief Operating Officer of DTE Gas, the natural gas utility subsidiary of DTE Energy. In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of DTE Gas operations, including gas sales, distribution, and storage services.

Since joining DTE Energy in 2003, Mr. Richard has held a variety of leadership positions. Before assuming his current role, he served as Executive Vice President of IT, Customer Service, and Corporate Services. He also held the position of Senior Vice President of Major Enterprise Projects and Customer Service, where he was responsible for managing the Customer Service organization and overseeing major projects across power generation, electric distribution, renewable energy, gas distribution, and midstream platforms.

Prior to joining DTE Energy, Mr. Richard was Vice President of Operations and Process Improvement at Bethlehem Steel, where he managed sales, marketing, and operations for the Eastern Division. Earlier in his career, he spent 13 years at General Electric in various leadership roles, including Senior Executive for GE LEXAN Americas Manufacturing, where he was responsible for the production of phenolics, BPA, SAN, chlorine, and polycarbonate extrusion.

Mr. Richard holds both a BS and a MS in Chemical Engineering from Ohio State University, with graduate work focused on coal technologies, including liquefaction, gasification, and microbial desulfurization of coal. He is a graduate of the Nuclear Reactor Technology course at MIT and is a certified Master Black Belt from GE and the Six Sigma Academy.

In recognition of his technical excellence, Mr. Richard received the prestigious Whitney Award for Technical Achievement from GE, underscoring his contributions to the company’s technological advancements. In additional to Oakland University, he serves on the Engineering Advisory Board for Central Michigan University and is a board member of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS). Mr. Richard is also the President of the Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) and a lifetime member of the National Eagle Scout Association.