Richard J. Michal joined the Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) in February 2018 and serves as the Senior Vice President for Capital Projects and Facilities. He is responsible for the foundation’s five research parks, $46 million in residential real estate, and the development of the university’s 400-acre Discovery Park District, a $1.2 billion mixed-use comprehensive redevelopment of the west end of Purdue’s West Lafayette campus. Prior to joining PRF, Rich was the AVP of Operations at Butler University, where he was responsible for $300 million of capital projects and oversaw approximately 298 acres of grounds, over 2.1 million square feet of buildings, and a staff of 115 employees. In addition to his undergraduate degree from Purdue University’s School of Engineering in construction management engineering, Rich has a master’s in business administration in finance from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and a bachelor’s and master’s in architecture from the University of Arizona College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture. He is pursuing his doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (scheduled to receive in August 2023). Rich is a licensed professional engineer and a LEED Accredited Professional and serves on the national board of directors for the Society for College and University Planners. He has over 30 years of professional experience in construction management, utility regulation, land development, planning, consulting, sustainability, and teaching.