Richard Phillip is Yup'ik from Tuluksak, Alaska and is the grandson of Nick Alexie, Sr. In 2004 and 2005, when Richard was a high school student, he participated in oral history interviews with Tuluksak elders and assisted during their work to map traditional places for the Tuluksak Project Jukebox. Since 2013, he has worked as a power plant operator in Tuluksak.