The RLS Alumni Association is honored to award this year’s Merle Greene Robertson Award to Terrence Riley ’00. This award was established by the Alumni Association in 2003 to recognize alumni for their service to society.

The award is named after Merle Greene Robertson, an anthropology teacher at Stevenson from 1968 to 1977 who took students to the Yucatan Peninsula to explore and record Mayan art and artifacts. Today, her thousands of rubbings are housed at the main library at Tulane University. Merle was a trailblazer and shaped the course of Stevenson as a proponent of experiential education—a cornerstone of learning at the School—long before it became a popular educational trend.

After Stevenson, Terrence attended USC. In his twenties, he tried out several career paths before returning to the Bay Area and earning a MA in educational leadership. During graduate school, Terrence was hired as a program manager at Aim High, a transformative summer enrichment program that annually serves about 2300 middle schoolers from low-income neighborhoods throughout California. Terrence was once a participant in Aim High programming when he was a high school and middle school student. After graduating from the program, he dreamed of different ways he could give back to the organization that gave him so much. He explains, “I was given so many great opportunities that I wanted to be able to create opportunities for others; for people that looked like me and come from the same place I come from.”

He has now been with the organization professionally for 13 years. Over his tenure, he has grown from program manager to VP of Programs. In his current role, he oversees programming for all of the 16 Aim High locations throughout Northern California.He ensures program quality and consistency, works with program directors and site directors to help them understand and implement the program’s strategic vision, and serves as an external voice for the organization— securing fundraising and support from donors and superintendents across the region.

Terrence has clearly devoted his days to improving the lives of underprivileged students, especially ones who grew up in the same place that he did. And ultimately, he credits his experience at Stevenson for inspiring this passion for serving his community. He explains, “Stevenson greatly influenced who I am today and the work that I do. The opportunity I was given as a young Black student from a lower-income household to attend an elite private boarding school was something I never took for granted. It continues to guide me today. The work I do is to help all students unleash their power and potential and expose them to resources and opportunities they would not receive otherwise. Stevenson showed me the power of opportunity, the power of influence and networking and the power of service leadership and the impact that it can have on a community.”

Upon learning that he received the Merle Greene Robertson Award, Terrence shared, “I am very grateful for this award and that Stevenson chose to highlight me and the work that I do. But, I think this award really is less about me and more about the work. The students, educators, and communities that help shape our society. Stevenson’s alumni base is so rich in history with so many people making meaningful contributions to our society. I feel honored to be mentioned amongst them.” He specifically credited Dr. Michael Jackson ‘68, another Stevenson alum and his former dean of students at USC, as his inspiration—for doing more incredible, trailblazing work, and as Terrence describes, “to advance our society in the most thoughtful and positive of ways.”

Congratulations to Terrence for receiving this prestigious alumni award, and a sincere thanks for all that he is doing to nurture, prepare, and inspire the generation that will help ensure California’s future.