Dr. Miguel A. Cardona was sworn in as the 12th U.S. Secretary of Education on March 2, 2021.
Prior to serving in President Biden's cabinet, Cardona was the Connecticut commissioner of education from August 2019 through February 2021.
After earning a degree in bilingual bicultural education from Central Connecticut State University, he began his education career in 1998, working as a 4th-grade teacher at Israel Putnam Elementary School in Meriden.
In 2003, Cardona took the helm of Hanover Elementary School, becoming Connecticut’s youngest principal at age 28. Less than ten years later, in 2012, he was awarded the National Distinguished Principal Award for Connecticut. That same year he earned his doctorate from the University of Connecticut. He became a district administrator in 2013, working as the Meriden district’s performance and evaluation specialist. In 2019, Cardona became Connecticut’s state superintendent. In that role, he pushed for reopening schools during the pandemic.
Over the last two years, Secretary Cardona led the United States’ efforts to safely and successfully reopen schools for in-person learning, going from only 46 percent of school buildings open when President Biden took office to nearly 100 percent open just nine months later, while distributing historic federal education funding for P-12 schools and colleges; working to increase higher education access, affordability, and student success; and leading unprecedented federal efforts to transform the country's student loan system.
Special Olympics Global Leadership Coalition for Inclusion
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Dr. Timothy Shriver
Chairman, Special Olympics International -
Didier Drogba
Global Ambassador, Special Olympics International -
Nyasha Derera
Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger and Chair of the Global Athlete Congress, Special Olympics International -
Ambassador Vassilis Kaskarelis
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece -
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Director General, World Health Organization -
Her Excellency Pastor Dorcas Rigathi
Second Lady, Republic of Kenya -
The Honorable Clifton Grima
Minister of Education, Republic of Malta -
Madam Sujing Zhao
Vice President, China Disabled Persons’ Federation, People’s Republic of China -
William Alford
Law Professor, Harvard University -
The Honorable Olivia Grange
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Jamaica -
His Excellency Sarkhad Zulpkhar
Deputy Minister, Labour and Social Protection, Mongolia -
The Honorable Samantha Sacramento
Minister of Equality, Government of Gibraltar -
Douglas X. Alexander
Chairperson, Lions Club International Foundation -
Ásmundur Einar Daoason
Minister of Education and Children, Iceland -
Ian McFarlane
Director, Division of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) -
The Honorable Helena Dalli
European Commissioner for Equality -
The Honorable Miomir Vojinovic
Minister of Education, Montenegro -
Gillian Triggs
Assistant High Commissioner, United Nations Refugee Agency -
Dr. Eric Nkansah
Director General, Ghana Education Service (GES) -
Ambassador Ahmed Alattar
Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Federal Republic of Germany -
His Excellency Dr. Ashraf Sobhy
Minister of Youth and Sports, the Arab Republic of Egypt
