Our Founder
Paul Riordan, President Emeritus/Founder
Retired SAUSD Administrator & Educator
Paul was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1931 and passed away in 2021. A proud Yale graduate with a degree in Economics, he dedicated his life to education and community service in Santa Ana. Over the course of 39 years, he taught at Santa Ana High School, where he inspired generations of students and helped create impactful programs, including the Santa Ana Unified School District’s Regional Occupational Program. A devoted community leader, Paul was actively involved in Kiwanis Santa Ana and the Elks Lodge.
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In 1997, Paul founded the Achievement Institute for STEM Scholars (AISS) with a vision to empower high-achieving, underrepresented students with opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math. The program officially launched in 2001 with its first cohort—just five students—who graduated as the Class of 2003. Initially recruiting every other year, AISS eventually expanded to annual cohorts, now enrolling approximately 25 scholars per class. Paul's legacy lives on through the hundreds of students whose lives have been transformed by his belief in their potential.


"I believe we are heading towards a future American crises. While spending 38 years as a teacher and administrator in the Santa Ana school system, I saw many changes. I can remember when America was a world leader in 8 out of 10 science areas. Today, we are 21st in the world of science and 19th in mathematics.
In Thomas Friedman’s book, The World is Flat, he identifies the biggest problem America will face: the lack of homegrown American technologists. I recently had a back operation at Kaiser Hospital where most nurses, doctors, and technicians are in-sourced from foreign countries such as India, the Philippines, Indonesia, etc. Mr. Friedman stated that Boeing Corporation has hired 1,500 Russia engineers to design their new 777 commercial aircraft. Thousands of American companies are made up of foreign technologists. What happens when they return to their home countries? A good technical force requires a great deal of education. How do we replace the loss of these foreign technologists and still continue our role as an industrial leader? Please review this AISS website. It may be part of a solution.
All United States high schools have undiscovered and discovered academic scholars in science and mathematics. Why is it that a good majority of these students never enter the field of technology? One answer is that they are not shown the application of science and mathematics in the world of technology. The public and private schools are doing a god job of teaching the theory phase of sciences and mathematics, but the application phase is not designed into the school curriculum. WHO can bring application in to the schools educational plan? The answer is industry and business. Why? They currently apply the use of science and mathematics in producing goods and services.
The AISS Foundation since 2001, has found ways of developing partnerships between industry, business and academic institutions. The cost, resources and time are your low cost investments in great results."
Paul J. Riordan