J.D. (center left) and Rich (center right)
with their Israeli guides in Jerusalem, Israel
RW
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Rich is an activist in his role as Director of The Richard Norris Weissman Charitable Fund, focusing on supporting organizations and activities that actively empower LGBTQ people, fight anti-Semitism/anti-Israel activities, and support environmental issues, and animal rights and rescue, including endangered species.
By education, training, and professional experience, Rich is a highly recognized tech entrepreneur, marketing expert, data scientist, and a pioneer in predictive AI (artificial intelligence), big data algorithms, and the use of statistical analytics in business, and recently in political/nonprofit arenas.
Rich was CEO/President and founder/owner of a cutting-edge and premier data analytics company for cloud technology predictive AI database systems in the U.S. and Canada for banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions. The company developed new and sophisticated analytic systems using data science to redesign the traditional financial income statement and balance sheet through a new paradigm of AI-driven, multi-variate statistics, big data analytics which integrated accounting, financial, transactional, economic, geographic, demographic, businessgraphic, social, behavioral, psychographic, time-series, and other datasets and research for a novel approach to economic and financial management of the financial services industry. The company focused on altogether new and innovative methodologies for a new risk management paradigm through data intelligence, utilizing unique methods for understanding the dynamics of financial systems in new ways. Rich also served as head of the company’s think tank, envisioning and developing new analytic concepts to inspire the industry to operate with a foundation of economic sustainability and long-term risk mitigation components as a key strategic concept. Having predicted the 2008 financial crisis, Rich’s company became a catalyst for creating new methods for creating and implementing systemic economic sustainability in the financial services industry. In 2014, Rich sold his company, remained as transitional CEO and left the company in 2015.
Prior, Rich worked as Executive Director of Marketing at three large, global institutions: Bank of America/BAC, U.S. Bank/Bancorp, and National Westminster Bank USA, as well as beginning his career working in EMA Research in packaged goods market research, pioneering conjoint analytics as a new research method in the consumer research space. Rich became Executive Marketing Director at National Westminster Bank USA on Wall Street, NYC at age 30, among the youngest in the industry. Over his career, Rich created and managed a variety of database, financial, strategic, product development, pricing, automation, delivery, marketing, branding, and public relations functions.
In 2023, Rich formed a new think-tank/center of excellence to help new Democratic LGBTQ candidates win elections by embracing a new paradigm for political campaigns that is strategy-focused and data-driven. The organization, Ibis Group Institute (www.ibisgroupinstitute.com), provides strategic guidance to candidates to connect them with Ibis experts from corporate, academic, and related backgrounds at no cost (all members of the Institute are volunteers). The Institute is affiliated with the Equality PAC, the political arm of the U.S. Congressional Equality Caucus (the LGBTQ Congressional Caucus in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. The Institute worked with a handful of new candidates running for Congressional offices in the 2024 election cycle, expanding its capacity to support more candidates going forward. Rich co-chairs the Ibis Group Institute Leadership Team.
Rich also recently worked for two years as a volunteer data scientist for the Center for New Data, an analytics non-profit organization of data science volunteers dedicated to fighting voter suppression nation-wide through sophisticated data analytics AI algorithms, developing and providing critical measures on voter suppression for legislative, legal, media, and other activities for voter access.
Rich’s work has been recognized and awarded for its distinctive thought leadership, having often presented at top-tier conferences and conventions. Rich's work has also been recognized in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Business Week, and a multitude of other leading publications.
Rich obtained his B.A. summa cum laude, two master’s degrees and completed his Ph.D. program (ABD) in the social sciences, focused on quantitative analysis/statistics, all at New York University, NYC. Rich holds many academic awards, including Phi Beta Kappa, Psi Chi, NYU Founders' Award, Dean's List, and others. For one of his graduate degrees, Rich interned at LIJ-Hillside Psychiatric Hospital, working with schizophrenic/psychotic adolescents. Rich’s innovative graduate thesis was in the area of statistical interactionist modeling (now called algorithms) as a new psychiatric diagnostic paradigm. He also attended NYU’s business school to enhance his business and marketing education, and he completed all his education at NYU by age 24, and his professional working career then quickly moved forward. Later, Rich completed the Marketing Management Program at Stanford University as well.
Born and raised in New York, Rich went to Israel at age 16 after graduating high school, and he completed the one-year Mechina Preparatory Program at Tel Aviv University, followed by his first-year undergraduate studies in the social sciences at Hebrew University in Jerusalem (in Hebrew). Rich spent his childhood on Long Island, attending public schools in the East Williston Public School District (Wheatley High School).
As a prolific researcher and writer, he has authored many articles, research, and white papers. Rich now provides expertise, time, and resources for political, social, and other nonprofit activities. He has contributed many articles to HuffPost and other publications, with an analytic focus on social and political issues. Rich is also involved in music and entertainment, and he actively studies voice, having sung in a number of gay men's choruses, and he continues to sing in local musical productions.
FAMILY
Rich and his husband, J.D. (Jack Douglas) Horn have been together for almost two decades, and have been legally married since it became law. They live in their residences in Palm Springs, San Francisco, and Black Butte Ranch (Central Oregon in the Cascade Mountains).
J.D. is a best-selling author internationally of eight published novels, including the bestselling and highly acclaimed "Witches of New Orleans" series (introduced 2018, published by 47North) and the "Witching Savannah” series (published by 47North). J.D.'s books have been given top reviews worldwide, and have been featured at BEA (BookExpo America), New York ComicCon, Berlin Book Fair, London Book Fair, and many other prestigious venues. J.D.'s books are among the top selling novels in the horror/fantasy genre throughout the world, translated into Spanish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, and Turkish for foreign market publication and sales. Another novel by J.D., "Shivaree," was also published by 47North and was introduced at New York Comic Con. J.D. also writes short stories, and his short story "Pretty Enough To Catch Her" was published in "The Mammoth Book of Southern Gothic Romance." J.D. has another published short story entitled "Pitch" which was released in the "Phantasma" collection, "Peculiar Paradise" published in "Unnerving Magazine,” and "Class of '72" published in "The Demons of King Solomon" collection. He was also published in the “Palm Springs Noir” collection with his story, “The Stand-In.” His most recent short story, “Honor,” was published in the Journal of NoirCon,” the official journal of the biennial NoirCon Conference.” J.D. was featured in "Palm Springs Life" as one of Palm's Springs international bestselling authors in the spread entitled "Good Stories Never Die - How J.D. Horn picked up an old manuscript and became a bestselling author."
J.D recently completed another book in a new genre for him, murder mystery. The book will be under the name of Jack Douglas Horn, a new persona for J.D. as he enters this new genre. J.D. is represented by Darlene Chan of the Linda Chester Literary Agency.
In 2021, J.D. started Curious Blue Press, a new independent publisher of original fantasy and horror fiction and occult nonfiction by other authors. His company has already published four books: “Good Southern Witches,” “December Tales – Ghost Stories,” "The Little Book of Horrors" and a sequel to “December Tales.” All are short story anthologies, and all available for purchase online at various sites and in local bookstores. J.D. is the publisher and editor, and authors submit original manuscripts to him, and from those submissions he selects and edits works for publication. "Little Book of Horrors" consists predominantly of famous French writers from the mid 1800's through the 1930's, whose works were not typically translated into English, and not accessible to the English-speaking world. J.D., who speaks and reads French fluently, translated these wonderful lost stories and published them so that English speakers can now enjoy them.
J.D. was raised in rural Tennessee, and has since lived in many cities in the world, including Chicago, Monterey, San Francisco, Hollywood, Paris, Tokyo, Seattle, and Portland (Oregon). He studied comparative literature as an undergraduate at Lake Forest College (Illinois), focusing on French and Russian literature. He also holds an MBA in International Finance and Accounting from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (California), where he completed his MBA (in French).
He has worked in many areas of finance, including International Mergers and Acquisitions for purchase accounting and systems integration for Microsoft for many years, and at other large international and national organizations, including Banfield, Hanna Andersson, and others, before becoming a novelist.
He now devotes full-time to writing. He also has race bibs from two full marathons and over thirty half marathons, and he plays the piccolo, flute, piano, and guitar, and he writes music. He recently completed writing (book, lyrics, music) his first musical, "Misleading Men," with the plan to produce it within the next two years.
Rich and J.D. are the proud parents of two accomplished daughters, both of whom are attorneys - one with law and MBA degrees from Northwestern/Kellogg, and one with law degree from U.C. Hastings; both passed the California bar, along with other states, and both work as attorneys, with one in corporate law and one specializing in environmental law in water/land use. One completed her undergraduate degree in economics and political science, and the other in the social sciences. Rich and J.D. recently became new grandparents, entering a new chapter for their family. J.D. is also the proud parent of his adopted son who recently completed his Masters in Public Policy at American University in quantitative analytics for environmental policy, and his undergraduate degree in environmental studies.
Rich and J.D. are pet parents for a rescue Chihuahua. Rich and J.D. are members of Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco. They travel extensively throughout the world, and often visit NYC as devoted Broadway musical theater and drama, as well as opera, dance, symphony, and museum enthusiasts.
For more information on J.D., his books and Curious Blue Press, go to:
http://www.amazon.com/J.D.-Horn/e/B00FDZMK0U/ (andFacebook.com/jackdouglashorn)