Richard L. Pace, Rose-Hulman '70
It seems fitting to describe Brother Richard Pace ‘70 as a man driven by dedication and conviction. His career, now spanning over four decades, is a mixture of publishing and ecology endeavors, each conducted at the very pinnacle of excellence within their respective industries.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1948, Richard lived a typical 1950’s suburban childhood. After attending the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he received a B.S. in mechanical engineering (1970), he spent three years as a conscientious objector toward the Vietnam War and working as a surgical technician.
In 1974, he pursued an interest in the art of fine bookmaking at Indiana University (M.F.A. 1978). As part of his program, Richard worked under the direction of David Randall, then Director of IU’s Lilly Library and one of America’s premier book-dealers, on the recreation of the British Museum’s Printing and the Mind of Man exhibit. Even before finishing his masters program, Richard began working for the University of Chicago Press, starting a 20-year publishing career.
From 1976 until 1996 Richard Pace managed and developed several hundred publishing and information products, many for prominent scientists, institutions, and corporations - among them the Field Museum of Natural History, International Business Machines (IBM), and several Nobel Laureates. Richard has received several hundred awards for his publishing works. Of considerable note was his work in developing a new series of science books (along with Howard Boyer and Linda Chapit) under the direction of Dr. Gerard Piel, then Publisher of Scientific American Magazine. The project, which was started in 1980, involved the purchasing and restructuring of W. H. Freeman Publishers. Over two years W. H. Freeman was moved from California to New York City, and resulted in the creation of the Scientific American Library.
In 1996, Richard made a major change of venue to his career. He and frequent collaborator, Peter Gengler, began developing concepts to pursue their mutual interest in environmental conservation and the potential of the Internet for conveying environmental and ecological information and knowledge. They became co-founders of UDM Land Sciences with the mission of enhancing the technology and methods used to make environmental and land use decisions. The company holds copyrights and provisional patents on Internet spatial technologies, land and property assessment methods, and an integrated real estate decision support system. Richard currently serves as President of UDM.
By late 2003, Brother Pace and Mr. Gengler, along with Dr. Edward Straker (founder of SAIC Environmental and Energy), formed EcoAsset Markets, Inc. to establish new economies for ecological assets and ecosystem services. The founders determined that local and regional ecosystem service markets have the most promising approaches to establish new business models for conservation and the sustainable well being of human communities and natural systems. Richard currently serves as a managing partner of EcoAsset Markets, Inc.
Aside from his lengthy and establish career, Brother Pace has had a long history of involvement with community development and social responsibility activities. Even during his undergraduate education he worked actively with community schools, health and legal outreach, and environmental policy development. Richard has two children, Heather Pace Lewis and Katharine Cummings Pace, and two grandchildren, Emma Colleen Lewis and Nathanial Stanton Lewis. He has a close companionship with Maryellen O’Mahony, Executive Director of a regional Massachusetts YMCA and a civic activist. He is a masters athlete participating in road cycling, mountain biking, and triathletic events.