Meet The Author - Jeff Rasley - Hero's Journey

Jeff Rasley lives on the White River in Indianapolis with Alicia and Bandit. His first published writing was melancholic-adolescent poetry in the Hanover College Fine Arts Journal. Over 80 feature articles in law, travel, spirituality, politics, and human interest followed in Newsweek, Chicago Magazine, ABA Journal, and other periodicals. Jeff is the author of ten books. 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 kids lessened travel time, but he leads Himalayan treks and mountaineering expeditions, 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 lead counsel on class action suits for prisoners which resulted in the construction of two new jails in Central Indiana. Jeff was 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 Katrina, and funded the Jeff & Alicia Rasley Internship Program for the ACLU of Indiana. Jeff is the founder of the Basa Village Foundation, which funds culturally sensitive development in Nepal. He has served as president and director of Indianapolis Scientech Club and its foundation, which promotes scientific inquiry and learning. Jeff is a director of six nonprofits, including the Indianapolis Peace & Justice Center, University of Chicago Alumni Club, and Phi Beta Kappa of Indiana. 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 has been admitted to the Indiana, US District, and US Supreme Court Bars. Jeff describes reading Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past as great an adventure as climbing Himalayan peaks.