Richard O'Brien was a product of Culver Military Academy, SIS American University and Georgetown University. He instructed the Secondary Social Studies classes of World History, World Geography, U.S History, U.S Government and Women's Studies. In 2000 he Founded the Center for the Prevention of Genocide, an early warning, human rights NGO designed to predict, intercept and intervene in the most deadly of genocide activities. The CPG was a direct result of O'Brien's Master's Thesis 'Genocidal Indifference.' During its four years open, the largely twenty-something year old staff, interns and volunteers had a surprisingly strong record of success helping avert, end or playing a role in the prevention or intervention in Sulawesi, Indonesia, Nuba, Sudan, Darfur, Sudan, Eastern D. R Congo, Uganda, Chechnya, Colombia, and other hot spots around the world.He testifies in U.S Congressional Committee hearings on LRA killings of Acholi tribe members in Uganda, and appeared or spoke on national TV and NPR radio as well as having written articles in the Washington Post and the new York Times. After the CPG, he taught International Human Rights, Conflict in the Modern World and Ideologies of the World at the University of South Florida. He led the local Democratic party in Manatee County and helped defeat a Racial Profiling Bill in the Florida House and Senate in 2011. He successfully lobbied the U.S. Foreign Relations Committee Chair (House) to change her vote and acknowledge the Armenian Genocide for the first time in U.S History. He took a Visiting Scholar position at George Mason University's Carter School (then S-CAR) and completed the first draft of Break Glass in 2014. He subsequently wrote and published Women President's and Prime Ministers 2017 & 2018 Double Bridge. In 2023, he completed Break Glass, his master work about the Center for the Prevention of Genocide and the past 110 years of genocide and its heroes. He is the proud father of twins Annalise and John AC O'Brien.