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Commissioner Cantú, first Latina appointed to serve as Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, is the Ken McIntyre Professor of Excellence in Education and Professor of Law at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in education law and the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Ms. Cantú joins the Commission with a distinguished record of public service, including as the Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights and the U.S. Representative to the Organization of American States Commission on the Child in the Clinton Administration, and most recently, as a member of the Biden-Harris Transition’s Agency Review Team for the U.S. Department of Education.
When asked how her experience will impact her work with the Commission, Chair Cantú said, "In my professional life, I have been called a teacher, investigator, civil rights attorney, parent leadership trainer, policy maker, federal law enforcer, ethics counsel, adjudicator, negotiator, attorneys’ fee collector, program director, researcher, chair, Assistant Secretary, and Commissioner. In my personal life, I have been called a daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother, neighbor, and friend. While I bring this positionality to every personal and professional experience, at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, I have taken an oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution . The appointment commission signed by the President says that I am serving at the will of the White House and that he is “reposing special confidence in the integrity and ability” of the nominee. Those are pretty special words. I will keep in mind that the USCCR is a joint endeavor of the White House, Congress and the Senate, and will follow the best practices of checking in with fellow Commissioners and civil rights stakeholders before launching new projects. But most importantly, I will promote the Commission as a national resource."
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