Board Member At Large
Email: arrivera@buffaloschools.org
Phone: 716-328-5142
Dr. Ann Rivera, an associate professor of English and Chair of the Liberal Arts and Professional Studies department at Villa Maria College, was elected Member-at-Large to the Buffalo Board of Education. She was sworn in on July 1, 2019. On July 1, 2021, Dr. Rivera was sworn in as Vice President of Excecutive Affairs.
Dr. Rivera believes that education is at its most transformative when it is focused on meeting the needs of students and has dedicated her professional life to ensuring that all students receive a high-quality, student-centered education. Dr. Rivera has had over a decade-long relationship with the Buffalo Public Schools as a parent of a student with special needs. She has been an involved educational advocate, most recently chairing the district’s Special Education Parent’s Advisory Committee. As a part of SEPAC, Dr. Rivera worked with parents and district partners to address issues and improve the quality of special education in the Buffalo Public Schools.
In her former role as Member-at Large and Vice President for Student Achievement, Dr. Rivera worked to ensure that all Buffalo Public School students have access to a transformative, high-quality education. She believes a strong education is one that ensures all students have access to and instruction in academically advanced coursework and strong social and emotional supports throughout their education. She worked to expand access to academically rigorous coursework and multiple pathways for academic success, strengthening social-emotional supports in general education for diverse students needs, and strengthening support for strong, diverse educators.
Dr. Rivera earned a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Arts degree from SUNY at Buffalo, and a Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire College. She has been a teacher for over two decades, serving first as a preschool educator and tutor for students with learning disabilities, and eventually teaching a wide array of literature and writing courses at the college level. She specializes in composition, writing across the curriculum, and designing effective academic and social supports for college students. As an associate professor and chair at Villa Maria College, she is affiliated with several professional organizations: the New York College English Association, the Council of Writing Program Administrators, and the Writing Across the Curriculum Clearinghouse.
A proud parent of Buffalo Public School children, one who graduated and another who is currently a Buffalo Public School student, Dr. Rivera is married to Angel Rivera, Superintendent of Mechanical Maintenance at the New York Power Authority.
