Riester’s Commitment to Education

Tim Riester meets students from the University of Arizona following his keynote speech on marketing at the Eller College of Management “Thinking Forward” Conference.

September marks the start of a new school year but for Riester, education is on our minds year-round. We combine strategic philanthropy, policy advocacy, and hands-on leadership to support education. Actions from our management team demonstrate how leaders in business can make meaningful impacts on education.

Support for education starts at the top at Riester

Undoubtedly, connecting Arizona business, education, and government agencies to create and sustain a future-ready workforce is critical for a prosperous economy but also key to a hopeful future. As co-chair of the Higher Education and Workforce Preparedness Task Force within Greater Phoenix Leadership, Riester’s CEO, Tim Riester, helps guide one of Arizona’s most influential educational policy organizations. Greater Phoenix Leadership brings together leading CEOs to align resources across business, education, philanthropy, and public policy sectors.

Tim also supports aspiring health care professionals by serving as Chairman of the Dean’s Advisory Board at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences, future business leaders with his volunteerism as an Honored Entrepreneurial Fellow at the University of Arizona Eller College of Management, and the next generation of journalists through his service as a Trustee of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In fact, Riester made a six-figure gift to Cronkite students and programs distributed among a variety of efforts including the Riester Public Relations Endowed Scholarship which is annually awarded to students enrolled in the PR Lab at the Cronkite School. At the center of this hands-on program is the ‘Riester PR Lab Conference Room’ a gathering space for students where world-class training unfolds year-after-year and where careers start to take shape. Visitors to Cronkite and Eller might even catch Tim presenting agency case studies on specially scheduled event days to students enrolled in those colleges.

Equally important is Riester’s Executive Director of Public Relations and Communications, Christina Borrego’s work as a professor in Phoenix College’s Behavioral Sciences Department. Christina’s motivational approach to teaching provides her students with hands-on learning using the most current tools and technology. In fact, she concluded last semester with tremendous excitement by having Riester’s broadcast team assist her students in creating their own podcasts.

Riester’s Executive Director of Media and Measurement, Kari Brill, an Executive MBA candidate through W.P. Carey School of Business, applies her acumen in the classroom as an invited guest lecturer on topics like sports marketing at Arizona State University College of Law and supports community efforts that impact educational outcomes through her work as a Board Member for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Likewise, Riester opens its doors to groups of undergraduates from across the U.S. and even internationally for internships year-round. Affectionately called ‘Riesterns’, they have direct access to industry professionals, are introduced to everyday agency life and present a final project placing them at the helm of a client campaign. The program marks its 35th year in 2026.

Without question, Riester’s entrepreneurial success is an educational tool itself. Students benefit from observing leaders who have built and nurtured a successful company while maintaining strong ties to educational institutions. This investment of time and resources is guided by the idea that the next generation of professionals will need to implore creative thinking across all lines of work more than ever, in the years to come.