Richard Martin Festa, known to friends and associates as Rick, attended The Montclair Public Schools and later matriculated at Ithaca College, in Ithaca New York. A past member of AFTRA, after college Festa initially pursued a career as a professional actor. In 1990, Festa changed career direction and joined Garban Limited, LTD in New York City as a securities trader. After seven years, he moved to Liberty Brokerage, Inc. where within the same organization, under the name Tullett Prebon Holdings, Inc., Festa served as Senior Vice President in the Government Bond Trading Department. Today, Festa is a partner at BGC Partners.

Festa serves on the Board of Trustees at the Montclair Golf Club in New Jersey. He has also sat on the steering committee for Hospice Care, and served on the founding committee of The Yogi Berra Golf Classic which benefited Disabled Boy Scouts of America