Candida Richards is the Director of Talent Development at the University of Central Florida, where she provides strategic leadership and vision for the university’s enterprise-wide training, organizational development, and talent management strategy. With nearly 30 years of experience in corporate, higher education, and financial sectors, she is recognized for designing and executing programs that strengthen leadership capacity, engagement, and performance across all levels of an organization.

In her current role, Richards leads the design and implementation of UCF’s comprehensive learning and development strategy—advancing initiatives in leadership development, onboarding, coaching, and performance management that align with institutional goals and HR governance priorities. She oversees the creation and evaluation of multi-level leadership programs, facilitates retreats and organizational effectiveness sessions, and partners across the university to ensure consistency, scalability, and measurable impact. Her data-informed approach integrates metrics and continuous improvement strategies to drive learning outcomes and organizational success.

Before joining UCF, Richards served as Vice President of Learning and Organizational Development at BankAtlantic, where she led enterprise learning strategies and managed all regulatory and compliance training, including BSA/AML, FCRA, OFAC, Regulation E, and Identity Theft Prevention. Her programs strengthened internal controls, ensured audit compliance, and enhanced workforce readiness across all business units. Later, as Senior Manager of Talent Programs and Compliance Training at JM Family Enterprises, she implemented Workday Learning, directed leadership onboarding programs, and partnered across divisions to align risk, compliance, and talent development strategies.

Richards’s portfolio also includes consulting for global organizations such as the FDA, Motorola, Bacardi, Johnson & Johnson, and Pratt & Whitney, where she led initiatives focused on workforce capability, leadership effectiveness, and cultural transformation.

She holds a B.S.B.A. in Management from Nova Southeastern University and is completing her M.A. in Educational Leadership at the University of Central Florida. Richards is a Certified Change Practitioner and Human Capital Management Professional, with advanced certifications in instructional design, managing the learning function, and organizational effectiveness.

Currently, she is driving the university-wide implementation of Workday’s Performance Management module, introducing a structured process for goal setting, continuous feedback, and annual reviews to strengthen accountability, growth, and alignment with UCF’s strategic priorities. In addition, she curates and facilitates high-impact learning experiences in areas such as emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, change management, and strengths-based development—often tailoring content to address the unique challenges and goals of specific colleges, departments, and leadership teams. Her work consistently bridges strategic vision with practical application, resulting in measurable improvements in collaboration, leadership effectiveness, and organizational performance.

Richards holds a degree from Nova Southeastern University and is completing a second at the University of Central Florida.