Touch Lives, Drive Change & Do Good Well

A seasoned healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood (HMRF) professional, Rich Batten has provided leadership, training and technical assistance (TTA), and communications expertise to large-scale projects for more than 25 years. Working alongside state and federal organizations, fatherhood grantees, and coalitions, Batten assures effective programs, curricula, and coalitions. A gifted communicator, Batten guides content development, oversees dissemination initiatives, and fosters knowledge sharing across diverse audiences.

From 2016-2022, he was project director of the federal HMRF TTA contract. Previously, he served as project director of the Administration for Children and Families’ National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC). Additionally, he was project director for the Colorado Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Community Access Program, an advisor to the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network, and a master trainer for several curricula. Batten has also led or consulted on other federal- and foundation-funded projects, including the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation’s (OPRE) Curriculum Content Assessment and Review (C-CAR), Same-sex Relationships: Updates to Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Programming (SUHMRE), and projects funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Before joining Public Strategies in 2010, Batten oversaw a statewide fatherhood initiative for the Colorado Department of Human Services. A Certified Family Life Educator, Batten holds a Master of Education from Loyola University Chicago, a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Northern Michigan University.