Rich has served as Dean of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership since February 2019[1][2] and is the incoming 17th President of Franklin & Marshall College, taking office in July 2025.

[2] After graduating from Richmond, Rich received his doctorate in political science from Yale University in 1999.

Rich later published Think Tanks, Public Policy, and the Politics of Expertise through Cambridge University Press in 2004.

[2] Rich has taught at the City College of New York since 2003, serving as chair of the political science department.

In February 2025, the Franklin & Marshall College Board of Trustees announced Rich would succeed retiring president Barbara K. Altmann, who has served in the role since 2018.