Jeff Rasley lives on the White River in Indianapolis with Alicia and Poppy Cat. His first published writing was poetry in the Hanover College Fine Arts Journal. Over 80 feature articles on law, travel, spirituality, politics, and human interest followed in Newsweek, Chicago Magazine, ABA Journal, and other periodicals. Jeff is the author of 17 books. He has won awards for a travel photograph, a travel feature article, and a book cover.
Jeff dropped out of college, saved money from factory work, then hitch-hiked across the USA. Money earned on a road crew financed travels in Europe and motorcycling from Indiana to Mexico City. Marriage and 2 children reduced his travels for a time, but since 1995 he has led treks and mountaineering expeditions in the India-Nepal Himalayas, and he has scuba dived throughout the Caribbean and sea-kayaked in Palau, Tonga, and the Greek Isles.
Jeff's commitment to social activism and philanthropy began in high school when he co-founded the Goshen Walk for Hunger. In law school he fought for renters' rights and organized the first rent strike in Indiana as president of the Indianapolis Tenants Association. As a young lawyer Jeff founded free legal clinics at two inner-city churches in Indianapolis. He was co-counsel on class action suits for prisoners which resulted in the construction of two new jails in Central Indiana. Jeff was the lead plaintiff in a class action requiring clean-up of the White River after it was polluted by an industrial chemical spill. He spent 5 days working for NOLA Habitat for Humanity after Hurricane Katrina. Jeff and Alicia Rasley funded an international studies scholarship for University of Chicago students for 6 years, and they endowed the Jeff & Alicia Rasley Internship Program for the ACLU of Indiana and the Janice Stutz Rasley Journalism Scholarship for Goshen College students.
Jeff is the founder and president of the Basa Village Foundation, which funds culturally sensitive development in Nepal. He has served as president and director of Indianapolis Scientech Club and is the president of the Scientech Foundation of Indiana, which financially supports STEAM education in Indiana. Jeff has served as an officer or director of many other nonprofit organizations, including the Indianapolis Peace & Justice Center, University of Chicago Alumni Club, Phi Beta Kappa of Indiana, and as a trustee of Earlham College. He is U.S. liaison for the Himalayan expedition company Adventure GeoTreks Ltd. He has taught courses on "culturally sensitive development" and philanthropy at Butler and Marian Universities and memoir writing at the Indiana Writing Center.
Jeff's BA is from U of Chicago magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, All-Academic All-State Football, letter winner in swimming and football; JD Indiana University Law School cum laude, Moot Court, Indiana Law Review; MDiv Christian Theological Seminary magna cum laude, co-valedictorian and Faculty Award Scholar. He was admitted to the Indiana, US District, and US Supreme Court Bars.
Contact Jeff through: http://www.jeffreyrasley.com
