Rishia Haas has a relatively small but well-documented public record that extends beyond basic biographical details. Official Minnesota records establish her family background, while later reporting connects the Haas and Zimmern names. Her own public comments have addressed the role of family and community support, and reputable reporting has documented her involvement with the Washburn Center for Children.
More recently, her public record includes a documented contribution to scientific research. Under the name Rishia Zimmern, she was credited as an author on a 2025 University of Minnesota-affiliated entomology study, with specific contributions in methodology and investigation. That research provides one of the clearest recent records of her professional activity.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full documented name usage | Rishia Haas Zimmern / Rishia Zimmern |
| Parents | Bill Haas and Joenie Haas |
| Sibling | Graham Haas |
| Education listing | Augsburg College |
| Community involvement | Washburn Center for Children |
| Research affiliation | University of Minnesota Department of Entomology |
| Research contribution | Methodology and investigation |
Official Records Establish Her Minnesota Family Background
Official Minnesota records support Rishia’s family background rather than the unsourced biography pages that circulate online. A Minnesota House profile published on 24 March 1995 identified her as the daughter of Bill Haas and Joenie Haas and named Grahamm Haas as her sibling.
The same profile recorded Rishia as 21 years old at the time. That official record establishes her age at a specific point in 1995 but does not provide an exact date of birth. Minnesota legislative records also independently list Bill Haas’s spouse as Joenie and their children as Rishia and Grahamm.
Later Minnesota reporting helps connect those earlier records with the name she has used professionally. In February 2011, the Minnesota Star Tribune referred to her as Rishia Haas Zimmern. More recent professional and academic records use Rishia Zimmern.
That name history helps link the earlier Haas family record with later work attributed to Zimmern without relying on assumptions from third-party biography sites.
Reputable reporting has also identified her as the mother of a son named Noah. A New York Times report published in September 2018 described Noah as 13 at that time. Available reporting establishes the family connection but does not provide a verified birth date.
Washburn Center Became Part of Her Public Community Work
One of the strongest first-hand sources involving Rishia came from a 2014 Mpls.St.Paul Magazine feature. In that feature, she spoke directly about the importance of support when families encounter difficult periods.
Her comments focused on the role both extended family and the wider community can play. Rather than offering a broad statement about her personality, the feature provides a specific view she expressed publicly: support does not have to come from immediate relatives alone.
The same feature reported that Rishia and her family supported the Washburn Center for Children. Their involvement included speaking publicly about the organization, volunteering, and providing financial support.
This community work is one of the clearest documented areas of her public involvement. It also provides context for her remarks that families sometimes need help beyond their immediate household.
The available evidence does not establish a long list of advocacy organizations or a decades-long public-service career. The research reviewed supports her involvement with the Washburn Center.
Her Professional Record Includes Education and Recovery Support Training
Rishia’s public professional profile lists Augsburg College as part of her educational background. The accessible record does not specify a reliably confirmed degree, major, minor, or graduation year, so Augsburg is the clearest education detail available without extending beyond the evidence.
Her professional profile also lists a Nationally Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist, or NCPRSS, credential. The credential appears to have been issued in March 2020.
The same profile displays an expiration date of May 2026. Because the listed term has passed, the record supports saying that she held the credential during that period, but it does not establish whether it was renewed after May 2026.
That distinction matters for understanding her professional history. The available material supports recovery-related training in her record, but it does not establish current certification status or a present-day role with a particular recovery organization.
Her professional background therefore must be described through the specific records available: an Augsburg College education listing, a time-limited peer-recovery credential, and later documented participation in University of Minnesota research.
Her 2025 University of Minnesota Research Is Clearly Documented
The strongest recent evidence of Rishia’s professional activity comes from a peer-reviewed study published in Communications Biology on 16 June 2025.
The paper listed Rishia Zimmern among its authors and affiliated her with the Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota in Saint Paul. The study examined viral patterns involving western honey bees and common eastern bumblebees.
Its contributor statement gave Rishia specific credit for methodology and investigation. Those credits identify concrete parts of the research process in which she participated rather than simply listing her name among a broader group of contributors.
The University of Minnesota’s institutional research database also lists her as an author, providing a second institutional record of the work.
The study analyzed information gathered across three years before publication. The manuscript was accepted on 5 June 2025 and published later that month. A journal correction was recorded on 28 June 2025, while Rishia remained listed as an author.
Her exact University of Minnesota employment title is not stated in the research publication. What is firmly documented is her affiliation with the Department of Entomology for this work and her contribution to the study’s methodology and investigation.
This 2025 publication is especially useful for understanding her current public record because it supplies a recent, independently documented professional contribution. It moves the available information beyond older family references and community involvement into peer-reviewed scientific research.
Her Public Record Spans Community Support and Scientific Research
Rishia’s verified public record covers several distinct periods rather than one continuous, heavily publicized career path.
The 1995 Minnesota House record provides an official starting point for her family background. The 2014 Washburn Center reporting documents both her community involvement and one of her clearest direct public statements about family and community support.
Her professional profile later added recovery-support training, with the NCPRSS credential shown as beginning in 2020. By 2025, she was contributing to University of Minnesota-affiliated entomology research and receiving specific methodological and investigative credits on a peer-reviewed study.
These records do not support broad claims about her lifestyle, personality,y or wealth. They do, however, provide a meaningful chronology of documented activity: family records, community support work, professional training and scientific research.
The 2025 study is the strongest recent development because it is supported by both a peer-reviewed journal and a University of Minnesota institutional record.
Rishia Haas Has a Verified Record Beyond Basic Profile Details
Rishia Haas has a public record supported by several different kinds of evidence, from official Minnesota records and her own published comments to institutional research documentation. The clearest recent development is her credited participation in University of Minnesota-affiliated entomology research, while her earlier Washburn Center involvement remains the strongest documented example of her community work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rishia Haas the same person as Rishia Zimmern?
Yes. Reputable Minnesota reporting used the name Rishia Haas Zimmern, while later professional and academic records use Rishia Zimmern. This supports that the records refer to the same person.
What role did Rishia Haas have in the 2025 University of Minnesota bee research?
She was listed as an author on the 2025 University of Minnesota-affiliated entomology study. The contributor statement specifically credited her with methodology and investigation.
Is Rishia Haas still certified as a peer recovery support specialist?
Her public professional profile lists a Nationally Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist credential issued in March 2020 with an expiration date of May 2026. The available information does not confirm whether she renewed it after that date.
What is officially confirmed about Rishia Haas’s age and family background?
An official Minnesota House record identified her as 21 years old on 24 March 1995 and named Bill Haas and Joenie Haas as her parents and Graham Haas as her sibling. No official source has verified a precise birth date.