Founder – Amazing Earthfest, Kanab, Utah (2007 – ongoing)

Raised in the New York City area, Rich attended the University of Vermont and University of California, then for two years studied home construction and residential wiring at a community college in Maine. A professional furniture craftsman and owner of Joy in Wood Furniture Makers since 1979, Rich also has a passion for selfless service. He is President and Founding Director of Amazing Earthfest, a 501c-3 nonprofit organization since 2007, producing an annual educational, arts and outdoor adventure festival celebrating National and State Parks, Forests, Monuments and Public Lands of the American West.
For nine years between 2008 and 2017, Rich served as a trustee for Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, friends group for Utah’s largest national monument. In addition, he was the longest serving member of the Kanab City Beautification Board until stepping down in 2021. Most recently in 2019, Rich founded the 501c-3 nonprofit Stellar Vista Observatory, based in Kanab, an organization dedicated to the creation and operation of a public educational astronomical observatory in Kane County. Rich and his wife Debra relocated to Kanab in 2007 to maintain an active outdoor lifestyle, discover and enjoy America’s public lands and contribute to the evolving culture of rural Utah.

Collaborations