Martha J. Kanter is the former

Under Secretary of Education The under secretary of education role was established as the second-highest-ranking position in the United States Department of Education when the agency was established in 1979. With the addition of a deputy secretary position in 1991, the under s ...

. She was appointed by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

on April 29, 2009, and confirmed by the Senate on June 19, 2009. She served as chancellor of the

Foothill–De Anza Community College District The Foothill–De Anza Community College District is a community college district headquartered on the grounds of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California, United States.San Jose City College San José City College (SJCC) is a public community college in San Jose, California. It was founded in 1921, and is one of the oldest colleges in the California Community College System. History The college was founded in 1921, opening its doo ...

. In 2007, she additionally founded the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources (CCCOER), which promotes the awareness and adoption of open educational policies, practices, and

resources ''Resource'' refers to all the materials available in our environment which are Technology, technologically accessible, Economics, economically feasible and Culture, culturally Sustainability, sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and want ...

. Kanter has a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

, a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum an ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, and a

Doctor of Education Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded ...

from the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...

. As the US Under Secretary of Education, Kanter oversaw policies, programs, and activities related to post-secondary education, vocational and adult education, and federal student aid, as well as continue to promote open educational resources (OER). Kanter announced on August 13, 2013, she would be stepping down from her Obama administration post. She currently leads College Promise, American

non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

initiative to increase college access, affordability, quality, and completion in American

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

. She also is a senior fellow at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

’s Steinhardt Institute for Higher Education Policy. The

College Promise College Promise is a national non-partisan campaign that supports funding the first two years of higher education, starting with community colleges in the United States. While state-level campaigns often lack funding, College Promise highlights gro ...

initiative was started in

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...

in 2015.

References

General references

External links

Biography of Martha Kanter

Martha Kanter - Distinguished Visiting Professor of Higher Education and Senior Fellow

with Martha J. Kanter

Kanter Joins the Exodus

Martha Kanter 'dispatched to Corvallis with $17 million' to save Craig Robinson's job?

Dr. Martha Kanter: #ACPArethink Presidential Symposium

Martha J. Kanter
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Brandeis University alumni Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni University of San Francisco alumni United States Department of Education officials Obama administration personnel {{US-gov-bio-stub