Working with Families to Build Power: Summit Tamalpais' Eric Dillie

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Eric Dillie didn’t want to leave his job. He loved working as the Superintendent of Schools for the KEY Educational Group in Hayward. He’s always been interested and involved in politics and in this role, he was “essentially working with elected officials, school board members, and community members to make the school as good as it can be,” he said.

Eric tends to immerse himself in the community where he works. He was feeling at home. He loves connecting people and bettering where he is. He values building authentic relationships. He was involved in different East Bay political circles and ran for county school board. Then Summit Tamalpais came calling, needing a middle school principal.

Eric wasn’t planning on quitting his current job. But being on a campus is different. He missed being around students and the energy, the problem-solving – “good and bad” – that comes from being a leader who works directly with students. He’d heard amazing things about Summit and thought he’d be a good fit.

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“I really wanted to know what was going on over here,” Eric said. “And I wanted to be a part of it.”

He’s now gearing up for his third year as the Executive Director of Summit Tamalpais, so pleased to be back on a middle school campus. It’s returning to his roots in a way – Eric began his career as a middle school teacher, in Austin, Texas. Over 20 years later, he’s still driven to make a positive impact on students and families because of his identity as a servant leader.

“It’s helping families clear barriers for their children so they can fulfill their academic and social potential,” Eric said. “If you’re in an administrative role, you’re helping people on campuses to do that. Well, I didn’t want to help the people on a campus. I wanted to be in one.”  

He has always been someone who wants to be around the action, to get involved. He thinks the propensity to help others probably came from his mom. Eric’s parents worked blue-collar jobs and have GEDs (he’s the first in his family with a college degree). His dad was a union leader, and Eric remembers their late-night discussions about politics and world affairs after his dad would return home from a meeting.

“I learned some things about power and fighting for what you believe in from my dad,” Eric said. “And I’ve carried those lessons with me.”

The middle school in Texas where Eric began his teaching career has a lot of similarities to Summit Tamalpais, he said, with a majority Latino student body population, with many English Language Learner students and low-income families.

“I absolutely fell in love with the community and decided this is where I belong,” Eric said. “I found myself working really well with the families, partnering with them to solve problems for their kids.”

For Eric, working with families felt as rewarding as teaching. It was an early career realization that helped shape the type of roles he pursued in his career. It also is why he’s involved with 5C: the Contra Costa County Charter Coalition and thinks it has a lot of potential.

“There is definitely momentum building,” he said. “Parents are getting organized and their impact is starting to be felt.”

Parents possess a lot of political power, Eric said. They have the most at stake in school board elections because officials make decisions that greatly impact charter schools, including whether a school can stay open. They should be leading the charge for quality schools for their children. “That’s where you start, with students and families,” Eric said. “It’s a no-brainer.”

The work of 5C brings together advocacy and education and offers Eric another opportunity to serve students and families, something he’s done his whole career. He’s hopeful 5C can blaze a path for others to follow.

“We are effectively bringing communities together, preparing them so they can advocate for their schools at a foundational, grassroots level,” Eric said. “I’m proud of the work we’re doing with families leading the way.”

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