Rich was the fifth president and CEO of the Santa Monica, California-based research institution, succeeding James A. Thomson, who had led RAND from 1989 to 2011.
[2] Rich was succeeded by current RAND President and CEO Jason Gaverick Matheny.
Rich is a native of Los Angeles who joined RAND as a summer associate and then as a member of the institution's research team.
The project earned Gold LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and the Urban Land Institute's award for excellence.
[6] He is the son of the late aviation pioneer Ben Rich, a prominent aeronautical engineer with Lockheed Skunk Works, and his wife Faye Mayer, a fashion model.