Rita Carolyn Richey is a Professor Emeritus of Instructional Technology at Wayne State University.
[2] Richey developed an interest in instructional design theory and research methods even before the field was fully conceptualized.
She published her first book, Theoretical and Conceptual Bases of Instructional Design[3] in 1986 because she could not find any suitable textbooks to use with her students.
Richey developed competencies for teacher education, creating resources to be used by the field, and critically analyzed the variables which impact systems models.
She International Board of Standards for Training Performance and Instructions (IBSTPI) for ten years where she worked on competency development.