Richard West is a past President of the National Communication Association. He is also Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Emerson College in Boston. At Emerson, he has served as the Department Chair for several years, as the Acting Director of the Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies, and as the Project Director of the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. He is past President of the Eastern Communication Association, where he received the Past Officer's Award and was recognized as a "Distinguished Research Fellow" in the Association. Rich is also the former Director of NCA's Educational Policies Board.

Both Illinois State University (B.A./M.A.) and Ohio University (Ph.D.) have recognized him as an Outstanding Alum in Communication Studies. Rich's research has appeared in Communication Education, Communication Studies, Communication Quarterly, Day Care and Early Education, Communication Reports, Journal of Family Communication, among other diverse outlets. He has written extensively in the area of classroom communication and has been recognized as a "Leading Scholar" in Classroom Communication by the Communication Institute for Online Scholarship (CIOS). Rich's principle co-author is Lynn Turner. Together with Lynn, he has co-authored 5 books in multiple editions. He is also co-editor of The Family Communication Sourcebook and the co-editor of the Sage Handbook of Family Communication. In 2014, NCA's Family Communication Division recognized the Sourcebook as its Outstanding Book Award. In addition, Rich has (co) authored dozens of articles and book chapters and is a current member of numerous journal editorial boards. Rich's research has been featured in a number of media outlets including USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, NPR, Toronto Globe & Mail, CNN International, Austin Statesman (TX), among others. When he has some free time, he enjoys working on his 105 year-old summer home in Maine, but privately admits that he would rather hire people than do the work himself!