Richard Landers
Richard Landers is an IES Abroad Vienna alumnus (1968–69) whose year abroad profoundly shaped his worldview and lifelong commitment to global citizenship. His time in Vienna ignited a deeper understanding of humanity’s shared identity and collective destiny, challenging him to look beyond cultural or geographic differences to recognize the fundamental truths that unite us. Motivated by this perspective, Richard has devoted his philanthropy to fostering awareness, especially among young people, of our shared human DNA and our fragile dependence on the planet’s environmental balance. He has been a champion of IES Abroad’s Global Pillars program, which equips students to confront global environmental challenges and empowers them to create innovative, sustainability-driven solutions for a better future.
“IES Abroad Vienna marked the beginning of my journey toward understanding that all humans are fundamentally one people, living on one planet, and ultimately sharing one destiny. While evolution may lead us to focus on superficial differences—like tribal identities or weather differences between two nearby cities—my experience, which was really jump-started by my year in Vienna, has shown me that we are far more alike than different, sharing 99.9% of our DNA, and that collectively we depend on a narrow range of environmental conditions to survive. My philanthropy has aimed to raise awareness of these two existential truths, especially among young people. IES Abroad’s Global Pillars program stands out as a model—engaging students in the global environmental challenge and inspiring them to use their creativity and entrepreneurial drive to develop sustainability solutions.”Richard Landers