Brian Rogers, upon stepping down after years of establishing and presiding over ONE, displays the proclamation he received from Mayor Darlene Gee on May 11, recognizing his selfless service and dedication to Orinda’s schools.
It’s a pivotal moment in the history of the Orinda Network for Education (ONE). This organization, formed under the leadership and vision of Brian Rogers, reinvented the way Orinda schools manage funds, ensuring an excellent education for students on each step of their journey.
After four years at the helm, Rogers’ last day as President was June 30, but he takes with him the appreciation and admiration of many.
“Brian is a leader with the 3 C’s – calm, cool and collected,” said Emily Allen, executive director of ONE. “I admire how he always gives everyone a chance to speak and listens in a way that is rare these days; he summarizes thoughts and concerns so that people feel heard. He builds mutual respect, which is why when Brian Rogers speaks, people listen.”
Although ONE has been in operation since 2020, the concept started eight years ago when the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Carolyn Seaton, brought Rogers and several others together to discuss strategies to compensate for decreasing public school funds.
The idea was to bring in more resources by consolidating fundraising under one foundation. Schools retain autonomy as each parent club has a representative and controls their account to meet the needs of their school.
Alicia Keenan, the incoming president, said what compelled her about ONE as a parent is appreciating how it streamlines the process of supporting the schools.
“For a long time, individual schools, parents, clubs and organizations tried to support the district separately,” she said.
This “multiple ask” model resulted in parents writing many checks to support different efforts.
“By centralizing our fundraising efforts,” Keenan added, “ONE has expanded what we can provide to our school districts to offer all our students excellent educational experiences.”
“It took a while to get on the same page, but everyone has since come together and learned to share resources,” said Rogers, who spoke at many public forums and parent groups before the operating agreement was signed five days before lockdown in March 2020. “Our biggest challenge was getting people to think beyond their own school and put the entire school journey first to build a pathway that ensures an excellent, equitable education for every Orinda student.”
Rogers, an Oakland native and U.C. Berkeley grad, ran his family’s foundation supporting Oakland schools for 20 years, and helped create the Oakland Literacy Coalition, GO Public Schools Oakland, the Oakland Public Education Fund, the Oakland Charter Collaborative and the Oakland Education Funders group.
Consequently, when he and his wife Katie moved to Orinda in 2010, he had the background to understand the challenges schools face. He noted that having four kids, spanning different school levels, also helped him with the parents’ perspective of “looking down the pipeline at the entire journey.”
ONE’s Board is now shifting from a working group to an advisory group, and Rogers will continue to serve as chairman of its finance and investment committee.
“The next step is to build the endowment to ensure better funding through rough times,” he said. “Our current investment model yields four to six percent compared to the old method of parents’ checks sitting in a savings account until they were used. This is a much more sustainable model, and the benefits affect the entire community.”
“His leadership has been nothing short of transformative, playing a vital role in the inception and growth of ONE,” said Allen. “His vision and commitment have left an indelible mark on our organization, shaping it into what it is today.”