Dr. Debra Saunders-White, GSEHD EdD ‘04, deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs at the U.S. Department of Education, has been selected as the 11th chancellor of North Carolina Central University (NCCU) by the Board of Governors of the multi-campus University of North Carolina. Dr. Saunders-White, 57, will assume her new duties June 1.
Since joining the Department of Education in May 2011, Dr. Saunders-White has been responsible for administering federal programs that increase access to post-secondary education for low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities. As deputy assistant secretary, she serves as the assistant secretary’s chief advisor on higher education programs and has oversight for more than 60 programs that strengthen the capacity of minority-serving institutions and help recruit and prepare disadvantaged students for successful college completion. This is the largest grant-making function within the Department of Education.
Dr. Saunders-White earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1979 from the University of Virginia, where she was a DuPont Scholar. She earned a master’s of business administration from The College of William & Mary in 1993 and a doctorate in higher education administration from GW in 2004. She also has participated in executive leadership programs sponsored by the American Council on Education, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and Hampton University.
