He spent his early years as a professional HIV/AIDS educator, outreach specialist, HIV testing counselor, and fundraiser for Philadelphia Community Health Alternatives (PCHA) following years of AIDS activism and volunteer work. After earning his B.S. from Drexel University in Corporate Communication in 1994, he became a fundraiser for ActionAIDS. By 1995, Richard founded and became the first Executive Director of ASIAC - AIDS Services In Asian Communities for its first 3 years. He completed his Master of Public Health in Community Health Education in 1999 from Temple University and later that same year became Director of HIV/AIDS Care Services at Valley Forge Medical Center & Hospital until 2008.

Over the years, he has been affiliated with the Philadelphia HIV Prevention Planning Group, Ryan White Planning Council of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia AIDS Consortium, the SafeGuards Project, ACT-UP, Mayor’s Commission on Sexual Minorities, the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, Bread & Roses Community Fund, Temple University and more. Richard has served on the Board of Directors of the National Minority AIDS Council since 1997 and was named Treasurer in 2004. In 1998, Liu was the recipient of the Community Service Award from the Pan Asian Association of Greater Philadelphia. He has received other community service awards from the Philadelphia Gay News and Drexel University.