Alfred University Athletics

Dr. Kathleen A. Richardson is the first former student-athlete to be recognized with the Distinguished Saxon Alumni Award.

The Distinguished Saxon Alumni Award was created in 2018 to recognize Alfred University student-athletes for outstanding achievement following their playing career at Alfred University. This award is not necessarily based on athletic achievement, but on the nominees’ career success following graduation via leadership, service, advancement or other similar means.
 
Richardson was a volleyball player at AU from 1979-82 under head coach Shirley Liddle. During her tenure, the Saxons won 47 matches, including winning seasons in 1979 and 1981.

Richardson has made significant contributions to the world since graduating from AU. She began her impact in 1989 when she earned the IR 100 Award from Industrial Research Magazine for one of the most significant technical advancements of the year – Liquid Crystal Polarizer/Isolator. In 2003, she was named a Fellow of the British Society for Glass Technology before being chosen to sit on the Board of Directors at Alfred University in 2006 where she is still active today. In 2008, she expanded her Board of Directors role to the American Ceramic Society. Later that year Richardson was named a Samuel R. Scholes Lecturer for her contributions to Glass Science and Education. One year later, she earned the Outstanding Educator Award from the American Ceramic Society. In 2012, Richardson became a United States Representative to the International Commission on Glass before taking up the role of President of the American Ceramic Society in 2015.
 
Aside from her prestigious awards, Richardson also founded a high-tech optics company, IRadience, which was recently purchased by Rochester Precision Optics – one of the fastest growing optics companies in the United States and local employer of nearly 300 people. Richardson is currently a Professor of Optics and Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Central Florida.