THEOECO'S MISSION

TheoEco is concerned with documenting, assisting, and researching those entangled in environmental and economic predicaments. In so doing, TheoEco produces documentaries about, and backs, the causes it finds important and are within its means to assist. TheoEco is also very interested in how theological undercurrents further exacerbate the entanglements between humankind’s pursuits and the ecology it finds itself impacting.

TheoEco Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in the United States in New Haven, Connecticut, with roots in Miami, Florida. Founded by Steve Richards and his daughter Bobbie Richards in 2015, TheoEco has focused on situations as varied as earthquake relief in Nepal and sea level rise in South Florida. Much of its resources are focused on the institute’s Nepal Project and other research initiatives. 

Steve’s journey started as he tried to discern the role the Spirit plays in the world's economic activities, prompting him to pen the study Economics in the Gospels to see what Christ and the ancient Jews might offer on the subject. He is currently compiling its follow up, Economics in the New Testament. Closely involved in the Institute is Bobbie Richards, who co-produces and directs the documentaries and is also a director of the Institute. 

The Institute was neither Steve nor Bobbie’s idea. That stroke of uncommon believing belongs to the Very Reverend Andrew McGowan, Dean of Berkeley Divinity School, The Episcopal Seminary at Yale.

THEOECO'S DIRECTORS

STEVE RICHARDS, MANAGING DIRECTOR

Steve Richards co-founded TheoEco Institute in the Spring of 2015 as a way to further his work at the Yale Divinity School. Being an environmentalist at heart, he is deeply concerned with how the intersection of theology and economics impact the ecology, all of which are the kernels that led to the TheoEco Institute. He has spent more than three decades in finance and is owner of a software firm which helps pensioners plan their retirement (CREWSRetire.com).

Richards received his bachelors degree from the University of Miami with a double major in Economics and Finance, and his MBA from Babson College in Boston where he specialized in entrepreneurial studies. He studied economics and theology at Yale from 2013 to 2016 where he specialized in Anglican studies and economics including behavioral economics with Nobel laureate Robert Shiller. He considers himself a modern day political economist.

Contact him at stever@theoeco.org.

BOBBIE RICHARDS

Bobbie Richards is a co-founder and the youngest director of TheoEco Institute. Traveling to Kathmandu with her father Steve Richards in the fall of 2015, she experienced first-hand the aftermath of Nepal’s earthquakes and the rebuilding efforts. A native of Miami Beach who grew up frequently visiting the Everglades, Bobbie is especially concerned with environmental issues in South Florida. With the assistance of her father, she founded and ran a small organization during elementary school called Kids 4 the Everglades (K4TE) which partnered with the Sierra Club to take her classmates on excursions to the Everglades. Though now defunct, K4TE is indicative of Bobbie's early passion for the Everglades and her drive to organize and educate others on its behalf. Bobbie has co-produced all of TheoEco’s documentaries and also acts as cameraperson, writer, and director of many of TheoEco’s productions. 
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Contact her at bobbie@theoeco.org.

AMIT NEPALI

Amit Nepali, our principal associate in Kathmandu, is an indispensable member of TheoEco as one can’t help but notice as the credits roll on any of TheoEco's Nepal Project documentaries. He has served as associate producer, editor, music composer, guide, translator, and more. Steve and Bobbie Richards met Amit, as well as his father Reverend Shyam Nepali and their family, through Reverend Lewis Lew of the Anglican Diocese in Singapore during their first days in Kathmandu in September 2015. Amit provides great insight and perspective as to what is going on in Nepal. He is an active member of the Golgotha Church in Nepal serving the youth and the choir. Amit also works with the Anglican Church in Nepal as office manager and with the Jubal Music Ministry, where his vision is to spread the Gospel throughout the world via audio and video.

TERI ABRAHAM

Born in Chicago and relocated at a young age to Miami, Teri hails from a family deeply rooted in moral, religious, and social responsibility.  Through the charitable organization ALSAC, the Abrahams were ground-floor participants in the creation and implementation of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee in the 1950s. Today, the Abraham Family Foundation supports orphanages in Lebanon and Haiti, Haitian farm-shares, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, Camillus House, Overtown Youth Center, Zoo Miami, Miami Rescue Mission, Habitat for Humanity, YMCA, the Humane Society of Miami, the American Red Cross, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and too many others to mention. An attorney by education, Teri currently works in Coral Gables as a real estate broker, title agent, investor, and property manager. She is a lifelong children’s and animal rights advocate and promoter of social responsibility.  Her dream is to one day become Zen enough to drive through South Florida traffic without cursing.  After all, nobody is perfect.

DAVID BOCZAR

David J. Boczar, CFP®, CFA is the founder of Emerald Wealth Advisors, a private wealth management firm and registered investment advisor headquartered in Westport, Connecticut. David works with families, individuals and entrepreneurs to help them achieve their financial goals. A Certified Financial Planner™ professional and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder, David has approximately 35 years in the financial services industry with a wide array of experience in global markets, investment research, money management, investment banking, financial planning, and insurance. His work has taken him to Latin America, Europe, China, Japan, Asia, and Africa. At Emerald Wealth Advisors, David works with his clients comprehensively in areas such as asset management, capital preservation, retirement planning, educational planning, risk management/insurance planning, estate planning strategies, wealth transfer, and succession planning.  He is independent and his investment advisory business is fee-based.

DR. ALOK MEHTA

Alok, hailing from Jaipur, India, brings a unique perspective to TheoEco’s work in the Himalayan region and the United States, having emigrated to the States in the 1980s. He and Steve Richards are former co-workers and collaborators beginning in the mid-80s with a technology company Richards co-founded outside of Boston. Alok earned his PhD in computer science and currently works at a hedge fund in Chicago. He is also a proud father of three and a World Champion Racquetball player, most recently representing team India in the World Championships in July of 2016.