Keith J. Richardson is a results-oriented executive with over 36 years of experience in tax administration, operations management, and financial services. In November 2016, he was appointed Deputy Chief Financial Officer (DCFO) for the District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR)
He oversees six administrations and the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate, leading a workforce of more than 575 employees. The DC Office of Tax and Revenue collects $9.9 billion annually in real estate, individual and business taxes. In December 2020, under his leadership, the agency completed the final phase of its fully implemented Modernized Integrated Tax System (MITS) through GenTax, making the District the only US jurisdiction with a fully implemented tax system that includes real property taxes.
In September 2022, DCFO Richardson was appointed to the IRS Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee for three terms. He also serves as an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, where he teaches the graduate-level course Financing State and Local Government.
From 2019-2021, he made history as the first African American to chair the Multistate Tax Commission’s Executive Committee in the organization’s 52-year history.
Richardson held key leadership roles in both governments and private organizations. As Revenue Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia, he managed a department with a $56.7 million budget and 585 employees, responsible for collecting $3.8 billion annually. During his tenure, he advanced tax reform, job creation initiatives, and legislation aimed at increasing funding for both the city and the Philadelphia School District. He also spearheaded a civil service regulation requiring all new hires be current on city taxes, water bills, fines, and fees; a policy later extended to board and commission members appointed by the mayor.
Prior to joining the city of Philadelphia, he served as Director of the Bureau of Compliance at the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, where he led several successful revenue collection initiatives. He also held the position of President and Managing Director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority Development Corporation, overseeing a $68 million budget. There, he was responsible for budget preparation, marketing vacant retail space, negotiating property sales and leases, and generating new non-federal revenue streams.
From 2012-2013, Richardson served as President of the Northeastern State Tax Officials Association, representing the Northeastern region. In 2022, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA), where he currently serves as the First Vice President.
DCFO Ricardson holds a Master of Business Administration from Eastern University in Philadelphia and a bachelor’s degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He is also active in several fraternal organizations and serves on the board of multiple nonprofits.