Former LA mayor to speak at Cal Lutheran

Topics will include Richard Riordan's 2014 memoir

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An attorney, entrepreneur and philanthropist before he entered public service, Richard Riordan started The Riordan Foundation in 1981 to help teach children to read and write.

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Aug. 24, 2015) Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan will speak at a California Lutheran University School of Management event on Thursday, Sept. 10.

“Engage and Lead: A Conversation with Richard Riordan, 39th Mayor of Los Angeles” will be held from 7:30 to 9 a.m. in Lundring Events Center. Henry Dubroff, the founder and editor of the Pacific Coast Business Times and a member of the School of Management Advisory Council, will ask Riordan about his leadership experiences, new book and wide range of interests from education to venture capital to national security. Riordan will then answer questions from the audience.

An attorney, entrepreneur and philanthropist before he entered public service, Riordan founded The Riordan Foundation in 1981 to help teach children to read and write. The charitable foundation has donated more than 25,000 computers and 170,000 books to schools throughout the country.

A pro-choice, pro-gay rights and pro-immigration Republican, Riordan was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 1993 and reelected to a second four-year term by more than 60 percent of voters. He led rebuilding efforts following the Los Angeles riots and the Northridge earthquake and initiated efforts to improve public safety, create quality jobs and make government more efficient. Riordan created a system of neighborhood councils to give community organizations a greater voice in city government.

Riordan also supported public school reforms during his time as mayor and went on to serve as California’s secretary of education after he was term-limited out of office. He currently serves on The Riordan Foundation’s board of directors and is the chairman of the Alliance for College Ready Public Schools, a charter management organization that operates 13 middle and high schools in Los Angeles. He was also a founding member of the LEARN school reform effort and the board of LA’s BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow) after-school program.

His memoir, “The Mayor: How I Turned Around Los Angeles After Riots, an Earthquake and the O.J. Simpson Murder Trial,” was released in 2014. It delves into his successes and difficulties during his time as mayor, the ideas and values that drove his work, and the life events that shaped him.

Breakfast and networking begin at 7 a.m. followed by the presentation at 7:30 a.m. Tickets are $45 with discounts for Cal Lutheran students and alumni. Register online at https://commerce.cashnet.com/clusom. For more information, contact Susan Wood at 805-493-3091 or swood@CalLutheran.edu.

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