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. Tafel worked in the public policy arena, putting 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, a leading health equity company providing 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, and a contributor to multiple books, and editorials for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
About Public Squared
Public Squared was created in 2010 as a mission-driven organization. As organizations increasingly faced challenges based in polarization, Public Squared developed a training called Cultural Translation that walks participants through a six-step process to overcome high conflict polarization. This model has been used by senior government trainings, the executive branch, nonprofits, churches, mediators and businesses seeking new strategies to include more diversity in their organizations.