Rick Oliver has a B.S. in Biology from the University of California, Fullerton and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California, Irvine. He is a member of the American Federation of Herpetoculturalists, the California Science Teachers Association, and the New York Academy of Science. He is now the Founder/CEO of Confound the Wise Ministries.
Read Dr. Oliver's blog at ConfoundTheWise.org.
J. Richard Oliver, Ph.D. CEO and Founder, Confound The Wise Ministries
Dr. Richard “Rick” Oliver is currently the CEO and founder of Confound the Wise Ministries based in Tonto Basin Arizona. Confound the Wise Ministries is a unique Creation based Ministry dedicated to spreading the unerring Word of God through science education. In June, 2008 Dr. Oliver stepped down from his full time position as superintendent of the Mount Hermon Outdoor Science School which he founded.
Dr. Oliver served in this position for over 15 years at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center located in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains in California.He designed and developed a science curriculum based on the California state science framework for middle school students (grades 5-8). The Creation centered experiential learning based curriculum not only allowed students to become more knowledgeable about their environment, but developed an appreciation, respect and responsibility for it as well.
Dr. Oliver earned his undergraduate degree in science at the California State University in Fullerton California. He later was granted his M.S. in life science with a minor in geology and went on to earn a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology with an emphasis in herpetology from the University of California. Dr. Oliver has participated in numerous scientific research projects over the course of his academic career including working with the Veterans Administration Hospital on extensive research on rattlesnake venom, major research projects involving both biology and geology at the Grand Canyon in Arizona and at the volcano at Mount Saint Helens in Washington State as well as several Dinosaur research projects in Wyoming and Montana.
Dr. Oliver became a Christian in 1987 and began lecturing on science regarding the origin of life from a Creationist point of view. As a gifted communicator affectionately known as “Ranger Rick” by both his colleagues and students his enthusiasm and knowledge of both biology and geology make him a popular speaker throughout the country.
Dr. Oliver is an adjunct faculty member a several colleges, both secular and Christian and has been invited to speak at churches and schools both in the United States and overseas.Dr. Oliver’s professional organizations include:
- California Science Teachers Association
- American Federation of Herpetoculturalists
- California Academy of Sciences
- New York Academy of Science
- Board of Directors, U.C. Santa Cruz, Longs’ Marine Laboratory
- Military Officers Association