Rich Tafel

Rich Tafel spent a career bringing together coalitions of unlikely partners to solve the most significant challenges of our day. He created the Cultural Translator Project to increase empathy and diversity intelligence in high-conflict organizations and communities.

He served as the Director of Raffa’s Social Capital Advisors helping social entrepreneurs create sustainable models. Prior to this role, Tafel worked in the public policy arena where he put together diverse coalitions to achieve historic civil rights and healthcare breakthroughs in the United States and worldwide.

Working in the social entrepreneurship space, he facilitated the nation’s first state-wide social venture competitions. He co-founded the Workplace Wellness Council of Mexico and SameSky Health, the nation’s leading health equity company that provides healthcare access to patients in their own language.

As a pastor, he serves on the National Council of Churches, where he has led Christian-Muslim Dialogues. He chairs the board of Citizen University, teaching young leaders the power of civic engagement. Rich also co-founded the American Project at Pepperdine School of Public Policy, focusing on alienation and loneliness in American culture. In 2021 he became a Senior Fellow at George Washington University’s Center for Excellence in Public Leadership.

Tafel is a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School. He is the author of Party Crasher. In 2021 he also wrote a chapter for the award-winning book, “How to Heal Our Divides: A Practical Guide.”