Writing & Speaking

Ideas become useful when people can understand them, see themselves in them and act on them.

I write and speak at the intersection of neurodiversity, belonging, nonprofit leadership and systems change. My work combines lived experience with hands-on practice in fundraising, governance, youth leadership and cross-sector partnership building.

Published writing

I publish The LD Viewpoint, an essay series about learning differences, education, identity and the systems that shape who gets heard. My work has also been featured through KQED Perspectives.

I write to make complexity usable: to identify patterns, give language to experiences that are often overlooked and help institutions see a practical path toward change.

Speaking and public leadership

I bring this perspective to panels, keynotes, workshops, podcasts and advisory conversations. My public leadership includes work with the National Center for Learning Disabilities’ Young Adult Leadership Council and the Stanford Neurodiversity Summit Steering Committee.

Topics

• Neurodiversity, dyslexia and learning differences

• Belonging as organizational and community infrastructure

• Youth voice, leadership and self-advocacy

• Fundraising, donor stewardship and nonprofit growth

• Governance, partnerships and systems change

Through The RILEY Project and The LD Viewpoint, I use storytelling as more than communication. It is a tool for visibility, trust, strategy and reform.

Invite Riley to contribute

I welcome thoughtful invitations for panels, keynotes, podcasts, interviews, workshops and commissioned writing—especially where lived experience, institutional strategy and community change meet.