Westar Institute

Alan Jay Richard is a resident scholar at Realistic Living, a nonprofit educational research and training institute in Bonham, Texas. His work is primarily centered on bridging the gap between religious scholarship and practice. He has 20 years of experience in social activism and community organizing, 15 years of experience in behavioral health and social services program design, and 10 years of experience organizing and reflecting on alternative religious communities. His dozens of research and scholarly publications include both the fields of public health and religious studies. He has designed and taught courses in both academic settings and congregational settings. He founded and maintained a small alternative congregation in Houston Texas. Recently, he helped launch an Inter-religious Consortium with Dr. Mehnaz Afridi of Manhattan College’s Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center, focused on assisting conservative Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faith leaders to speak and listen “across the divide.” He also consulted with the Center to prepare an exhibit and archive on Riga ghetto survivor and Nazi-hunter Herman Ziering.