Rich is a North Carolina native (and proud Duke grad) who moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s with his then partner/now husband Chris Caldwell whom he met at Harvard Law School.
Following a stint at the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC and then in private practice in Los Angeles, Rich began his real career as senior staffer to various local elected officials in Los Angeles. His positions included serving as Los Angeles Chief Deputy City Attorney and as Chief of Staff to then LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. He also served as the Los Angeles City Administrative Officer, where his responsibilities included overseeing the preparation of the City’s annual budget and all City labor negotiations.
Rich’s activism began early. He was on the student committee at Harvard Law School which demanded the creation of an official LGBT student group and then served as president of the Washington, DC Gay Activists Alliance (now Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance). He served on the Board of Directors of the LA Lesbian and Gay Center (twice) and served on the Advisory Board of the David Bohnett Foundation for 25 years. Rich also served twice on the Board of Directors of All Saints Church – Pasadena, one of the largest and most progressive Episcopal churches in the country.
Fulfilling their lifelong dreams to become parents, Rich and his husband Chris were early in the Gayby Boom, adopting their twin children Rosie and Robbie in Peru in 1990. Robbie and Rosie are now accomplished adults and make their parents proud every day.
Rich and Chris have owned a home in Palm Springs for over twenty years. They moved permanently to the desert as their primary residence in 2022.
