The Inland Empire recently suffered a huge community loss. Prominent and iconic Latino leader Dr. Tomas Rivera, 82, passed away after nearly 50 years in the education field.
Dr. Thomas Rivera died on March 8th, 2022. As an educational leader, Rivera served at Cal State San Bernardino for 38 years, including his 25 years as Director of the CSUSB Educational Opportunity Program. After retiring in 2011, he was named a CSUSB Associate Dean Emeritus of Undergraduate Studies. In addition to his successful tenure at CSUSB, Dr. Tom secured funding for numerous programs and founded several integral organizations. Among these organizations, Rivera founded Project Upbeat and co-founded the Inland Empire Future Leaders (IEFL) Program for 8th and 9th graders.
Dr. Tom was a friend and mentor to so many. I personally knew him and enjoyed a friendship with him. If you ran in the educational or political circles in the Inland Empire, you were hard-pressed not to have met Dr. Tom and become an instant fan. He was an amazing example for all of us and will be greatly missed. His legacy lives on through the IEFL and people’s lives will continue to be shaped and changed through his work.
Dr. Tom Rivera, Presente!
Leticia Chavez-Garcia
Latest posts by Leticia Chavez-Garcia (see all)
- Student Vaccine Mandate in California Scaling Back - June 10, 2022
- Siga estos 5 pasos para solicitar un Permiso de Maestro Suplente en California - May 24, 2022
- Early Childhood Special Education Teachers: The Burnout Crisis - May 24, 2022
- Un Niño con hambre no puede Aprender: La lucha para mantener a los Niños en las Escuelas Alimentados - May 6, 2022
- A Hungry Child Can’t Learn: The Fight to Keep Kids in Schools Fed - April 25, 2022