Leading from the West: A Conversation with Richard J. Riordan

Bedrosian Center on Governance

The Leading from the West series, hosted by the USC Bedrosian Center on Governance, is a platform that offers insight into effective governance through conversations with major western leaders of our time.

The states in the west have long been at the leading edge of social, economic, and political developments that the rest of the United States subsequently faces and grapples with. From air pollution in the 1970s to immigration policy today, the west has been at… Show more the center of some of America’s most significant policy issues, and has provided leadership in crafting solutions. Though sometimes controversial, these solutions result in stronger communities, economies and societies. The leaders that have guided states, regions, and cities through these often treacherous policy waters have had to demonstrate capable administration skills, nimble politics, and inspiring leadership to garner the resources and on-going support necessary to achieve success.



The Leading from the West speaker series, hosted by the USC Bedrosian Center on Governance, is a platform that offers insight into effective governance through conversations with major western leaders of our time. Because these challenges occur at multiple levels of government, the speaker series draws upon leaders from the local, state, and federal levels. The goal is an engaging conversation that touches upon many aspects of effective governance –including building an effective team, managing the complex relationships associated with coordinating different levels of government, navigating difficult political situations, and projecting public leadership to achieve an end – and highlights key lessons to be drawn from those experiences. From these lessons, we will be able to identify steps necessary to help the public sector work better and create opportunities for best practices and cutting edge thinking to be more broadly known and used.

The inaugural Leading from the West guest is Richard J. Riordan.

Born in Flushing, New York, Richard J. Riordan, a partner at Bingham McCutchen law firm, graduated from Princeton University and Michigan Law School. After his service in the Korean War Riordan moved to California. A well-established and highly respected attorney, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Riordan first entered public service as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993 to 2001 and then California’s Secretary for Education until 2005. His appointment as California Secretary for Education in 2003 marked Governor Schwarzenegger’s first cabinet appointment.

Riordan was also a founding member of the nationally-acclaimed LEARN school reform effort, and a founding board member for L.A.’s BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow), a nationally recognized after-school program serving thousands of children in Los Angeles’ underserved neighborhoods.

In 1981, Riordan created the charitable foundation that bears his name with one goal in mind: to teach children how to read and write. Through its signature “Rx for Reading” program, the Riordan Foundation has distributed some 21,700 computers to 2,100 schools in 40 states and enabled the purchase of 128,000 books for elementary classroom libraries.

Currently Riordan is Chairman of the Board of the Inner City Education Foundation (ICEF), a consortium of Los Angeles Public Charter Schools.

In addition to Riordan’s education work for young students, he co-founded The Riordan Programs at The Anderson School at UCLA with Professor William Ouchi. The Riordan Programs consist of The Riordan Scholars Program and The Riordan Fellows Program, serving high school students and college students/recent college alumni respectively.

Riordan has three children and three grandchildren. He is an ardent reader and an avid bicyclist.


Donnajean Ward
bedrosian.center@usc.edu
(213) 740-0155

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