Dr. José A. Cárdenas, Ed.D.

A professional educator for 45 years, Dr. José A. Cárdenas founded IDRA in 1973 and currently serves as its director emeritus. He is nationally recognized as an educational expert and civil rights advocate, particularly in the areas of school finance reform, bilingual education and dropout prevention. He has served as superintendent of an urban school district, chairman of the education department at an institute of higher education, director of a research and development center, and at all levels of the educational professional hierarchy. Dr. Cárdenas has authored several books. He has a doctorate in education and is proficient in English and Spanish.