Richard L. (Rich) Anderson is a native of Roanoke, VA, graduated in 1979 from Virginia Tech, and served for 30 years in the United States Air Force before retiring as a colonel in 2009.
Over the course of his military career, Rich served as a Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) combat crew commander (Little Rock AFB AR) and as a Minuteman II ICBM squadron operations officer (Whiteman AFB MO). His headquarters tours included service at HQ Strategic Air Command (Offutt AFB NE), HQ US Atlantic Command (Norfolk NAS VA), HQ US Pacific Command (Camp Smith HI), HQ US Air Force (The Pentagon, Washington DC), and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (The Pentagon, Washington DC).
After retirement, Rich was elected to represent the 80,000 citizens of the 51st House District (Prince William County) in the Virginia General Assembly for eight years. While there, he chaired the House Committee on Science and Technology and sat as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, the House General Laws Committee, and the House Transportation Committee.
Rich also chaired the Joint House-Senate Military and Veterans Caucus, the clearing house for legislation that affects 800,000 Virginia veterans. In addition, he chaired the Virginia War Memorial Board of Trustees and sat as a member of the Virginia Board of Veterans Services, the Virginia WWI and WWII Anniversary Commemorative Commission, and the Governor’s Commission on Military Installations and Defense Activities.
His non-military and veteran boards and commissions included chairmanship of the Virginia Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS), chairmanship of the Virginia Commission on Civics Education, member of the Virginia State Crime Commission, and member of the Virginia Commission on Youth. Rich holds an FAA commercial pilot certificate with 2,100 flying hours and also chaired the Virginia General Assembly Aviation Caucus,
Rich holds a BA degree in Political Science from Virginia Tech and an MA degree in Public Administration from Webster University. He is an in-resident graduate of the Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, and Armed Forces Staff College.
Rich and his wife, Ruth M. Anderson, reside in Woodbridge VA and are the parents of three children. Ruth is a retired 21-year military veteran, commander, and Air Force Nurse Corps leader. She was elected in 2015 as the Occoquan Supervisor on the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.