Meet the Authors
The Authors
Richard A. Kaplan and Dr. Marcus S. Robinson present a bold new vision for American democracy.
In CARING for Democracy: The American Fix, the authors introduce a unique, practical, and powerful framework—the CARING System—which bridges the enduring tension between democratic ideals, spiritual values, and capitalist economics. Together, Kaplan and Robinson challenge us to rethink how we fulfill our collective responsibilities and envision a more compassionate, effective, and equitable society.
Richard A. Kaplan is an accomplished entrepreneur and executive with deep expertise in economics, accounting, and organizational leadership. Over a career managing and investing in more than 20 companies, he has built a reputation across upstate and western New York for guiding start-ups and turnarounds and for delivering innovative solutions to corporations, universities, charter schools, and charities.
A sought-after consultant and guest lecturer, Kaplan speaks frequently on marketing, economic development, and public-policy finance at leading conferences and universities. His commitment to community service is equally robust: he sits on more than a dozen boards—including Nazareth University, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), RIT’s Venture Creations incubator, and the University of Rochester Medical Center—and has chaired or advised nonprofits such as the American Cancer Society of Monroe County, Camp Good Days and Special Times, Rochester’s Child, and the Rochester Broadway Theatre League. He is also a co-founder of the Rochester Angel Network and a board-member emeritus of the Center for Governmental Research and the Better Business Bureau.
Kaplan studied accounting (with an economics minor) at Rochester Institute of Technology and the University at Buffalo and holds a black belt in karate.
DR. MARCUS S. ROBINSON is a transformational leader in nonprofit management, talent development, and diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI). Formerly, he served as Executive Director of Collaboration Theatre Company in Chicago, where he uses devised theatre to spark social change and community healing.
Raised in Miami’s segregated Richmond Heights neighborhood, Dr. Robinson drew early inspiration from a tight-knit Black professional community and from the challenges of the Jim Crow South. A lifelong student of music, theatre, and martial arts (black belt, Kyokushin/Wado-ryu/Shoshin), he combines Eastern philosophy with Western human-development theory to foster mindfulness, collaboration, and courageous self-expression.
As a DEI consultant and trainer, Dr. Robinson has served clients such as Whirlpool Corporation, Eastman Kodak, Honeywell Canada, Whirlpool Europe, and public entities including the City of Rochester (NY), the State of California, and the League of California Cities. He holds a doctorate in adult learning and personal transformation from the American Institute of Hypnotherapy and operates the Social Innovation Group, a nonprofit consultancy that guides organizations through breakthrough change.