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Expert goes from talking the talk to walking the walk
Piedmonter, Contra Costa Times, June 13, 2004
By Lisa Coffey Mahoney, STAFF WRITER
Michael Riera is excited about the turn his career path is taking.
A nationally recognized educator, speaker, author and media figure on issues of child and adolescent development, Riera was named head of Oakland's Redwood Day School on June 1. He assumes his position on July 1.
While his work in television and radio has been enjoyable, Riera said, he's recently felt too removed from his true calling -- working directly with kids.
“What I'm looking forward to the most is spending time with students,” he told some Redwood Day School sixth-graders last week.
“The last few years I've been doing things with a lot of adults. Each step along the way I've gotten more removed from kids. I've really missed being around students,” Riera said.
On the road much of the time for television and guest speaker appearances, Riera is also looking forward to spending more time with his daughter, Lucia, who will enter third grade at Redwood Day School in the fall, and his 2-year-old son, Sam. “I need to be where my kids are,” he said.
School officials are thrilled that Riera will be at the helm of Redwood Day School.
“We are very fortunate and honored to have an educator with Dr. Riera's national stature joining our school,” said Joseph Di Prisco, chairman of the Redwood Day School Board of Trustees.
“Mike brings a combination of talents to our school -- extensive experience working in independent schools; demonstrated expertise in developing academic programs; a pragmatic, hopeful and sophisticated view of child development; and a wonderful ability to lead and grow our institution,” Di Prisco added.
School parent and board of trustees member Heidi Bersin said the parent community is thrilled with Riera's selection as Head of School. Many are familiar with Riera as he facilitated some student and parent sessions held last year regarding various middle school issues, and did some teacher training. “It's just an amazingly fortunate thing for the school,” Bersin said.
A Berkeley resident, Riera, 48, replaces Rick Clarke, who is completing his eighth year at Redwood Day School. Clarke announced his resignation earlier this year to pursue other opportunities.
“The entire Redwood School community owes Rick Clarke a debt of gratitude,” said Di Prisco. “Mr. Clarke led the school through a period of tremendous growth. During his tenure, the school doubled in size. He also spearheaded a major growth project, overseeing a number of new buildings.”
Riera agreed that Clarke has done a tremendous job at Redwood Day School, and that he hopes to build on the foundation that Clarke has laid.
Riera was raised in the blue-collar town of Plainville, Conn. “It's as exciting as it sounds,” he said. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Wesleyan University, where he was captain of the basketball team and earned academic All-American honors.
Riera subsequently obtained a master's degree in counseling from Antioch University and a Ph.D. in counseling from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco.
Riera has been a teacher, counselor and dean of students at several independent schools in the Bay Area, including Marin Academy in San Rafael and San Francisco's University High School.
In addition, he has been the parenting correspondent for the CBS Saturday Morning Show since the show's inception in 1997; appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show several times; authored and co-authored five books on children, teenagers and parenting; and hosted a nationally syndicated daily radio show, “Family Talk With Dr. Mike.”
Riera said that Redwood Day School -- like many other private schools --- is academically rigorous. What sets the school apart from others, Riera said, is that it is focused on helping kids figure out how they best learn.
Part of that discovery comes through project-based learning, he said. “Redwood Day School uniquely combines a passion for academic excellence with an understanding of the social and emotional development needs of children, all within a wonderfully diverse community,” Riera said.
“Redwood Day is a role model school -- helping children grow to become self-confident young adults and lifelong learners,” he said.
Redwood Day School has a strong parent organization, the school's new director said. “I really want to work with parents and help them understand what's going on with their kids developmentally, and how they can be better parents,” Riera added.
The new Head of School hopes that Redwood Day School can, over time, become a resource for the greater East Bay community. “I think there's a lot of good things happening here, and I think there's a lot of room to build bridges with other places. Schools are funny entities in that many times we're replicating things that other places do,” he said. “I would like to figure out ways that we can begin to learn more from one another.”
Located on Sheffield Avenue in Oakland's Diamond district, Redwood Day School is an independent, non-denominational school that serves students in grades K-8, primarily from Oakland, Piedmont, Alameda and Berkeley.
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