曹奮平教授六十年前追隨我國都市計畫學之始祖 - 恩師盧毓駿先生研習都市計畫，獲有工學學士、碩士及都市計畫博士學位。第一屆都市計畫高考及格。曾任職行政院經合會住宅及都市計畫小組及台北市政府工務局，於1970年初赴美、加深造，曾任加拿大安大略省工程顧問公司及昆堤聯合都委會都市規劃師。1975年取得加拿大都市計畫師正會員資格並在多倫多都會區匹克林市擔任資深規劃師，1977年起經議會任命為都市計劃局局長，負責全市之規劃及建築管理工作。
Professor Richard Tsao decided 50 years ago to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Mr. Lu Yujun, to study urban planning; he subsequently obtained a bachelor's degree, a master's degree and a doctorate degree in urban planning. He passed the first urban planning college entrance examination and also worked in the Housing and Urban Planning Group of the Economic Cooperation Council of the Executive Yuan and the Public Works Bureau of Taipei City. In the early 1970s, he moved to the United States and Canada for further development, becoming an urban planner at a construction consulting company in Ontario, Canada. In 1975, he served as a senior planner for the town of Pickering, Ontario, Canada. In 1977, he was appointed as the Director of the Urban Planning Bureau, responsible for the city's planning and construction management.
In 1980, he was personally recruited by Mr. Qi Yun Chang, the founder of Chinese Culture University, and returned to Taiwan to serve as the director of the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at his alma mater for six years. Since 1987, he has been an adjunct professor at Chinese Culture University, Tamkang University, Chiao Tung University, Chunghua University, China University of Technology and Fuzhou University.
Appointed by governments at all levels, Professor Tsao often participates in various consultation and review work related to urban development. He has served as a member of the Urban Planning Committee of the Ministry of the Interior, a member of the Steering Committee of the Public Facilities Reserve of the Ministry of the Interior, and the Architect Disciplinary Review Committee of the Ministry of the Interior. He was also a member of the Ministry of the Interior's Task Force on Real Estate Transaction Act, member of the Taipei Urban Planning Committee, member of the Urban Design Review Committee, member of the Taipei County Government Advisory Committee, member of the County and City Review committee, member of the Evaluation Committee of the State-owned Property Bureau of the Ministry of Finance, and member of the New Taipei City Urban Renewal Review Committee, etc. Professor Tsao has accumulated an extensive understanding of urban planning, public facility regulations, urban renewal, land use control and land development.
In 1987, he invited First Commercial Bank and like-minded professionals to establish East Asia Real Estate Management Company, and has been the general manager since then. For nearly 30 years, Professor Tsao and his colleagues from East Asia have been committed to providing professional, high-quality, fair and honest real estate services. In 2010, he served as the chairman of the Real Estate Management Association of the Republic of China. In July 2012, he began to act as the chairman of East Asia Real Estate Management Company.