Ronald Brill (Ron) has lived in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, for the past 30 years. His three grown daughters live in Jerusalem, Boston and Mountain View (Calif.). He has four grandchildren -- two girls in Jerusalem and two boys in Boston. He earned his undergraduate degree in public relations from San Jose State U. and masters in public administration from Sacramento State U. He has had four types of careers since leaving Burroughs. He worked in executive positions for Chambers of Commerce in Santa Monica and Corona, California. He directed public information statewide for the California Optometric Association which began a life-long interest in health education.

His career in public policy research and governmental affairs was primarily spent in San Francisco working for the Bay Area Council. He directed studies on major SF Bay Area issues such as transportation financing, solid waste management, maritime development, environmental and regional government issues. After teaching and being public affairs director for the University of San Francisco for eight years, he began his third career as a consultant to businesses, non-profit organizations and schools. His consulting services include marketing, writing, community relations and strategic planning.

Six years ago he began his fourth career, which started by writing a book about how schools can help students deal more honestly and safely with their everyday hurt feelings. His research includes analysis of school shootings and the type of emotional health education that schools can provide. The book was published in 2000, and he has become one of the nations leading advocates for school-based violence prevention education, particularly by preparing youth for the emotional turmoil and harmful behavior that often occurs during adolescence. In 2002, he was asked to develop a classroom program for elementary school students incorporating principles and concepts from his book. The result is a new experiential learning game about dealing with hurt feelings. He calls it "Lizards: The Feelings Game." The board game is now in the demonstration stage. He has introduced the game to schools in Northern California, and hopes to find funding to make the game available (along with teacher training on its use) nationally.

To help parents, teachers and teenagers, he has developed a website: www.copingskills4kids.net This site, launched last year, perpetuates work he began in the mid-1990s and continues to this day, developing emotional health education programs for pre-teens.  The new site, in little over one year, has had 30,000 visitors from every state in the U.S. plus 145 other countries. His Emotional Health Education Project's goal is to make additional experiential learning games available free to schools through corporate and organization underwriting. Burroughs alums who may have suggestions for sponsorship of the games are invited to contact Ron via email: rbrill3@cox.net .  Ron has also created a Coping Kids E-Newsletter for parents, schools and student service professionals.

Ronald Brill
Emotional Health Education
Author of: Emotional Honesty & Self-Acceptance: Education Strategies for Preventing Violence. 
Website: www.copingskills4kids.net