CCLDI Board Member Nominated for Key President Obama Administration Post

The Community College Leadership Development Initiatives (CCLDI), housed at the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences, recently announced the nomination of board member Martha J. Kanter as United States Under Secretary of Education. Kanter was among a number of individuals nominated recently to fill key positions in President Barack Obama’s administration.

In a statement released April 1, President Obama said, "The decision of these talented individuals to serve their country is admirable. Their commitment and expertise make them valuable additions to my administration, and I look forward to working with them."

Kanter currently leads one of the largest community college districts in the country as chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, which serves more than 44,000 students. Prior to her tenure at De Anza College, the released stated, Kanter served as vice president of instruction and student services at San Jose City College where she formerly worked as a teacher and created the school's first program for students with learning disabilities. She also served as a director, dean and subsequently vice chancellor for policy and research of the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office in Sacramento.

Kanter has served as a CCLDI board member since 2002. CCLDI, which was formed by community college leaders, encourages and promotes leadership development activities for current and future campus leaders, research dissemination and coordination and opportunities to share information and access to professional development in community college education throughout the Pacific region.

“This appointment speaks to the magnitude of work being done within the CCLDI, and the influence these leaders have had on a national basis,” said Paula Cordeiro, dean of USD’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences. “We are proud to be a partner with the center, and are encouraged by the impact that Martha Kanter will have in regards to educational policy nationwide.”

Kanter earned her bachelor's degree from Brandeis University, a master's in education from Harvard University and a doctorate in organization and leadership from the University of San Francisco.

About the Community College Leadership Development Initiatives

Community College Leadership Development Initiatives, founded in 2000, encourages and promotes leadership development activities for current and future campus leaders, research dissemination and coordination, and opportunities to share information and access to professional development in community college education in the Pacific region. The CCLDI is a partner of the University of San Diego and is a recipient of grants from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation.

About the University of San Diego

The University of San Diego, a Catholic Institution of higher learning chartered in 1949. The university enrolls approximately 7,500 undergraduate and graduate students and is known for its commitment to teaching, the liberal arts, the formation of values and community service. The inauguration this fall of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace brings the university’s total number of schools and colleges to six. Other academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of Business Administration, Education, Law and Nursing and Health Science.

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About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is among the Top 20 Best Private Schools for Making an Impact according to The Princeton Review. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.