NACS has established an ongoing internship program honoring Teri Richman to perpetuate her passion for growing young talent, exploring new ideas and bettering the industry. The program was announced Feb. 10 at the NACS Leadership Forum in San Francisco.
Richman joined NACS in 1982 as its first in-house federal lobbyist and played a critical role growing not just NACS’ advocacy efforts, but also reshaping and growing the industry’s research and technology base. Over the course of her 20-plus years at NACS, she was involved in nearly every major industry issue and initiative, from defeating beer-gas bans in the mid-1980s, to improving store security in the late 1980s and early 1990s, to introducing technology standards in the mid-1990s, to fighting outrageous credit card fees with the founding of the Merchants Payments Coalition in 2005. Richman died in December 2009 at the age of 54 after a long battle with cancer.
Even more significant than her impact on the industry was Richman’s interest in mentoring and growing people within the industry. To celebrate that spirit, NACS established the NACS Teri Richman Internship Program. This self-sustaining internship program is open to deserving undergraduate or graduate students, with a particular emphasis on advocacy and research.
NACS members are welcome to contribute to this program. Contribution dollars will be used entirely to fund the program and are tax deductable. Please make checks payable to The Convenience Store Foundation for Education and Research, EIN: 54-1723339, which is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Those who would like to contribute or would like more details should contact Michael Davis, NACS Vice President of Member Services, 1600 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, or contact him at (703) 518-4246 or [email protected].