Candidate for
Member; Sacramento County Board of Education; Trustee Area 2

Brian Rivas has dedicated his career to creating opportunities for youth from disadvantaged communities. Brian was raised by a single mother on an annual income of less than $10,000 in a neighborhood east of Los Angeles. His family relied upon many social safety net programs in order to make ends meet and his firsthand experience with these programs left an indelible impression. Brian became motivated at an early age to provide better opportunities for youth facing similar circumstances.

In the community Brian has served as President of the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project, a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing high school students for participation in California's political, economic, and social development. While President, Brian focused on building the organization's institutional capacity through increasing fundraising, implementing a coherent personnel policy and leading long-range strategic planning. After retiring from the board of directors, Brian continued to support CLYLP by chairing the annual charity golf tournament and was named the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project's volunteer of the year in 2007.

For nearly fifteen years Brian represented the University of California at the State Capitol where he rose to the rank of legislative director. He attained this position for his thoughtful approach to complex policy issues such as student diversity, labor relations, and long-range planning and development. Brian, a first generation college graduate, devoted his greatest attention to promoting access to UC for underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students.

Brian joined the California School Boards Association as a senior legislative advocate in 2008. He spearheads the association's advocacy efforts on a broad array of K-12 issues, including the regulation of charter schools, facilities, and collective bargaining. At CSBA, Brian is working as part of a team that is collaborating with community leaders to close the achievement gap among African-American, Latino, Southeast Asian and Native American students.

A graduate of UC Berkeley, Brian holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree from the Goldman School, where he was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow in public policy.