Charisse Richards has 25+ years of infrastructure and operations experience. Charisse has held various senior leadership roles in the Data Center, Hospitality, and Government industries.
Charisse is currently the Chief Information Officer for the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County, the country’s 4th largest court system. Prior to her current role, Charisse has served as CIO/Vice President of IT and Integration – Global Data Centers with Iron Mountain. She has also held positions as Chief Information Officer, Chief of Staff, and Vice President of Global Initiatives at IO Data Centers. Charisse served as Senior Director and Director of Systems and Database Administration at Choice Hotels International, where she and her team developed the infrastructure for ChoiceADVANTAGE©, the hospitality industry’s first cloud-based property management system in 2001.
Charisse has been a frequent speaker on topics such as diversity in STEM, leadership, and recruiting and retaining women in the data center industry. She’s a former AFCOM panelist on Women in Data Center and has frequently participated panels on hybrid infrastructure and service platforms. In 2018, Charisse was identified as TOP 5 Most Influential Women in Data Center.
Charisse holds a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University; a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Arizona.
Charisse currently serves as Co-Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
