Promoted to brigadier general in 2011, she served in various commands at Fort Hood and as chief of staff for communication in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

That year she was promoted to lieutenant colonel and became deputy operations officer of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

From July 2002 to May 2004 Richardson was commander of 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment and served with that unit on Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[7][12] Richardson returned to the United States after a year and became chief legislative liaison to the Office of the Secretary of the Army as a major general.

[6] In October 2018, Abrams left FORSCOM for a new assignment, and Richardson was named acting commander, the first woman to head the organization.

[13] In announcing the appointment, Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley indicated that Richardson could expect to be the acting commander for several months, and was being considered for permanent assignment to the post.

ARNORTH also participated in the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as natural disaster relief including wildland firefighting operations in Northern California.

[19][20] Richardson was originally going to be recommended by then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, but they delayed until after the 2020 United States presidential election over concern that then-President Donald Trump might react negatively to the nomination of a woman to a top command.

[21][22] At her nomination hearing, Richardson stated her commitment to strengthening SOUTHCOM's approach to security cooperation and ensuring the United States remained the partner of choice in the region, as well as ensuring SOUTHCOM played its part in supporting the "whole-of-government" effort to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to partner nations.

She added that she would focus on expanding the command's security cooperation efforts and multilateral exercises, prioritize international military education and training exchanges, and continue to work with Congress and the Department of Defense to increase interoperability levels and global integration.

[26] She received her fourth star as the third woman to lead a combatant command, with the promotion ceremony held on 18 October 2021.

[27][28] The change of command ceremony took place on 29 October 2021, with her predecessor, Admiral Craig S. Faller, retiring after 38 years service.