Meet Eileen Cassidy Rivera

Eileen Cassidy Rivera is a dynamic, experienced and progressive leader, whose career has focused on public service, information technology and international affairs.

A product of public school education, Eileen was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in Rochester, New York where she pursued her interest in foreign languages. Her desire to study and learn more about international affairs led her to Washington, D.C. where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from The American University. During her junior year, she studied in Mexico City at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (National Autonomous University of Mexico). She lived with a Mexican family and tutored English to young Mexican children. She also thoroughly enjoyed playing on an all-girl football team, helping her team win the championship that year.

Upon graduation, Eileen worked in the international division of the National Bank of Washington while pursuing her Master of Business Administration degree at night. During her last year of business school at the American University, she joined the Washington, D.C. office of Hill & Knowlton, a worldwide public relations firm where she provided public and government affairs counsel to a range of domestic and international clients.

In 1993, Eileen was appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton to serve in his administration. Her first role was Special Assistant at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration where she led a number of initiatives to promote U.S. exports and assist U.S. companies expand market share and compete for contracts around the world. These experiences led her to an even more challenging assignment as Assistant Administrator and Director of International Trade at the U.S. Small Business Administration where she championed for small businesses in reaching export markets through financing, counseling, partnerships and legal assistance. During her SBA tenure, Eileen received awards for her leadership and innovative approaches to building strategic alliances with trade associations and government agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

After the birth of her son, Kyle, Eileen left the Clinton Administration in 1999 to apply her energies and passion for children at the International Youth Foundation, an organization dedicated to the positive development of children and youth throughout the world. In her capacity as Director of Corporate Relations, she led the Foundation’s outreach to over 25 international corporations and national youth organizations in 50 countries.

In the last year of the Clinton Administration, Eileen was asked by the Director of the Peace Corps to serve as his Director of Press and Public Affairs where she developed and implemented communications strategies to promote the Peace Corps’ policies and recruitment priorities. During this time she was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Following the Clinton Administration, Eileen joined Electronic Data Systems (EDS), a Fortune 100 company. While at EDS, Eileen was appointed by Governor Mark Warner to serve on the Virginia Business Education Partnership, an advisory board which promoted partnerships between schools, parents and businesses to increase student learning and academic achievement.

Currently, Eileen is Vice President of Communications at Pearson Government Solutions, a premiere provider of customized information technology and management solutions for the U.S. federal government, international governments, higher education and commercial entities.

Eileen has lived in Del Ray Alexandria since 1996. Active in her community, she served as President of the Herbert Street Homeowners Association. She is a member of the Lyles Crouch PTA, the Del Ray Citizens Association and the Alexandria Democratic Committee. Eileen is married to Andrew A. Rivera, a voting rights attorney with the Advancement Project, a social justice and public policy action organization. She is a proud mother of her son, Kyle, and stepson, Drew.