He is CEO of Exemplar Strategic Communications, a company that works with non-profits, government agencies and advocacy groups with a focus on educational research, student achievement and instructional improvement. He has held senior positions in two of Washington, D.C.’s top public affairs agencies serving the educator sector and helped build a number of education start-up companies. Earlier in his career, he held senior positions in the offices of U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley and U.S. Rep. John W. Olver. In 2008, the Falls Church City Council appointed Riccards as the City’s representative on the Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia. His blog, https://blog.eduflack.com, is recognized as one of the top education blogs in the U.S.
A graduate of the University of Virginia, he and wife Jennifer moved to Falls Church in 2006 and adopted brother-sister Michael and Anna from Guatemala.