Rebecca Buckley

By Children Rising | June 23, 2017

As director of Succeeding by Reading, Rebecca shares the wonder of reading with struggling children in East Bay public schools most impacted by poverty and violence. Rebecca earned a bachelor of art in linguistics from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Master’s Degree in English/TESL from San Francisco State University. With a heart for serving others, she spent 20 years teaching English to international students at California State University East Bay and St. Mary’s College of California, in addition to staff positions at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley. Discerning a call to pastoral ministry, Rebecca completed her master of divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2008 and is currently part-time pastor at Ocean Avenue Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. 

Rebecca knows that one-to-one relationships are the key to helping students who are substantially below grade level. Drawing on her teaching experience and her ability to galvanize volunteers from all walks of life, she has elevated the Succeeding by Reading program and helped change the academic trajectory for thousands of children.

Rebecca grew up in Mountain View and has two adult daughters, Melissa and Christina. In her spare time, she enjoys puns, poetry, puzzles, and waltzing with newborns.