Richards named director of behavioral health and wellness for West Fargo Schools – InForum

WEST FARGO — Annie Richards has accepted the position as the district’s first director of behavioral health and wellness.

Richards began her career in behavioral health in 2012 with Solutions Behavioral Healthcare Professionals in Moorhead, Minn. During her time with Solutions, Richards served as their training coordinator and operations manager. She moved to Life Skills Transition Center as an applied behavior analyst in 2018 before joining West Fargo Public Schools. She has served in the role of district behavior coordinator since 2019. She holds a master’s degree in special education from the University of North Dakota and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Minnesota State University-Moorhead. She is also a board-certified behavior analyst.

In her time with West Fargo Public Schools, Richards has positively impacted the district by creating and subsequently expanding the district-wide behavior team, enhancing supports for continuous improvement at high-needs schools in the district, and implementing district-wide trainings, all with the purpose of reorienting schools and district departments toward data-based decision making.

Her experiences in the field of behavioral health, from non-profits to healthcare to government, and most recently, with West Fargo Public Schools, give her a unique perspective on how best to serve the learners and educators of the district.