Stephen Richardson

Stephen Richardson serves as Executive Director of Bainbridge Prepares, a nonprofit whose 600+ trained, background-checked volunteers are the “people power” behind the City of Bainbridge Island’s Emergency Response Plan. Because residents may need to be self-sufficient for up to 30 days after a major earthquake, Stephen collaborates with the City and the Bainbridge Island Fire Department to ensure volunteers remain trained and coordinated with official response efforts. He is also expanding BP’s fundraising and professional staff to better support volunteers.

Stephen has more than 10 years of experience in humanitarian response. With the Norwegian Refugee Council, he led education and recovery work for children and families in southern Syria during the 2018 conflict, when over 300,000 people were displaced in less than 48 hours. He managed an $8 million education portfolio in Lebanon during both the height of the pandemic and the 2020 Beirut Port explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever to hit a city. He also worked with the Philippine government on the recovery following Super Typhoon Haiyan. Before joining Bainbridge Prepares, he co-founded Wonder Lab, where he designed and evaluated humanitarian programs for children and families in over 15 countries, including the US.

Stephen holds a Master of Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.