Leadership

Robert “Chip” Harrod, J.D., M.A., is the Executive Director of EquaSion. A well-known Cincinnati civic leader, Chip previously served as Executive Director of the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), then as president and CEO of BRIDGES for a Just Community, an organization that for many years was regarded as our region’s leading human relations agency. Chip was the originator and founding president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, was a leader in the repeal of Cincinnati’s anti-gay City charter amendment, was a leading consultant in police-community relations, organized the interfaith celebration of Cincinnati’s Bicentennial, initiated numerous inter-religious dialogues, and was a leading voice for our community’s acceptance and inclusion of Hispanics, Muslims, and the LGBTQ community. Chip, a former attorney and college administrator,  served two terms on the Ohio Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

In 2018, in response to the upsurge in hate crimes and bias incidents, Chip led a team of civic leaders in organizing the Cincinnati Regional Coalition Against Hate. That same year, Chip directed the first Cincinnati Festival of Faiths, a celebration of Cincinnati’s rich religious diversity that in its second year attracted 3,000 attendees and the participation of 32 faith communities, making it the largest and most inclusive gathering of faith traditions ever assembled in our region’s history.  In the immediate aftermath of the George Floyd tragedy in 2020, EquaSion under Chip’s leadership created the A Mighty Stream program involving more than three dozen faith communities working together for racial justice through “sacred activism.”

Over the years Chip has been honored by numerous organizations for his civic contributions, and upon his retirement from BRIDGES in 2011 an article written about him in The Cincinnati Enquirer was headlined, “Chip Harrod’s conscience was city’s guide.”