Richard Zapien

Richard Zapien currently serves as a Professional Learning Coordinator for the 21CSLA Bay Area Regional Academy, based in UC Berkeley’s School of Education, and brings more than 25 years of experience in TK–12 education, including roles as a classroom teacher, principal, and school district administrator. These varied roles have sharpened his focus on equity, with a consistent emphasis on meeting the needs of students, their families, and the educators who support them.

In his current position, Richard facilitates professional learning on topics such as purposeful play in Transitional Kindergarten, supporting education leaders of color, collective impact in community schools, and critical AI literacy, drawing on his leadership experience with the California Computer Science Project (CCSP). He also provides leadership support to school principals, district administrators, and teacher leaders, partnering with them to identify and address systemic barriers. Through this work, he helps create environments that foster high-quality, rigorous, and culturally responsive learning experiences for historically marginalized students. He is deeply committed to driving transformative change and strengthening the capacity of leaders across educational settings.