San Diego Community College District Chancellor Emeritus Constance Carroll is among a star-studded group of appointees to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
President Joe Biden named 24 new members to the panel, which plays a role in advancing arts and humanities education alongside cultural diplomacy.
Other appointees include musicians Lady Gaga and Jon Batiste, actors George Clooney, Jennifer Garner and Kerry Washington, and film and television producers Bruce Cohen and Shonda Rhimes.
Carroll served as the district’s chancellor from 2004 to 2021. Upon her retirement, she became president of the California Association of Community Colleges, a nonprofit organization that supports programs that offer four-year degrees in the state community colleges.
The President’s Committee was founded in 1982 to advise the executive branch on cultural policy. The First Lady serves as its honorary president, and its members include leading artists, academics, and philanthropists who have demonstrated a serious commitment to the arts and humanities.
Designated agency heads, such as the presidents of the National Endowments for the Humanities and the Arts and the Librarian of Congress, among others, also serve on the committees.
The committee facilitates public-private partnerships, promotes interagency cooperation, and proposes programs that improve arts, humanities, museum, and library services across the country.
“The arts and humanities are central to our understanding of history, cultures, expression, and the myriad issues associated with quality of life, both in the United States and around the world,” Carroll said. “I look forward to this opportunity for national service and contributing to the committee’s work to shape policy, address issues, and identify opportunities in these fields.”
Before becoming chancellor of the San Diego Community College District, Carroll served as president of three community colleges, San Diego Mesa, Saddleback, and Indian Valley.
Carroll received her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Duquesne University and both master’s and doctoral degrees. in classics from the University of Pittsburgh.
This is not his first presidential appointment. Carroll was nominated in 2011 by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate to serve on the National Council of Humanitiesaffiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities, a position she still holds.
