Lehman College President José Luis Cruz has been appointed to Board of Directors of the Data Quality Campaign. Cruz, along with fellow new members, Cassandra Herring, founder and CEO of the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, and Stephen Pruitt, president of the Southern Regional Education Board and former Kentucky state commissioner of education, will serve a three-year term as a board member.

The Data Quality Campaign, based in Washington, DC, is a nonprofit policy and advocacy organization leading the effort to bring every part of the education community together to empower educators, families, and policymakers with quality information to make decisions that ensure that students excel.

“Each of these new board members brings extensive knowledge of education – from K-12 to higher education, from school-level administration to state and national leadership,” said John Bailey, chairman of the Data Quality Campaign’s Board of Directors. “They have all demonstrated a deep commitment to shaping education through a focus on equity and innovation, as well as the importance of using education data to better the lives of students.”

In today’s world, data has the power to shape the field of education. Ensuring that the right data is collected and that it is used well can help students, educators, and families make good choices. Data is also critical to creating equity-driven policies and practices, so that all students have the same access to opportunity.

The nine board members bring great individual knowledge and long expertise in their fields to the organization. For Lehman, it’s another influential connection in the higher education world and a chance to highlight the good work being done at the College.

President Cruz also serves on the board of directors of The Education Trust, the Institute for Higher Education Policy, the Regional Plan Association, and the New York Botanical Garden.