Becky Bartindale, a well-known and widely respected education reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, will join Foothill-De Anza as its district director of communications and public affairs starting Jan. 2, 2007.
“I am looking forward to being associated with an educational institution that does such important work in the community,” said Bartindale. “The Foothill-De Anza Community College District offers students many wonderful learning opportunities. I hope to help make more people aware of what the district has to offer, and build on its good work.”
“We are delighted to have found a person of Becky’s caliber to serve as lead spokesperson for the district,” said Chancellor Martha J. Kanter. “Open communication and transparency about the performance of our students and the goals, accomplishments and challenges facing our district are essential to our future. Becky has an outstanding reputation and the expertise critical for communicating the district’s positions and needs to our local residents as well as state and national leaders.”
During her 15 years with the Mercury News, Bartindale covered higher education, developing extensive knowledge of the important role that community colleges play in workforce development and preparing students for transfer to four-year colleges. She is well known for reporting on the opportunities and challenges of California’s community colleges from a local as well as a state and national perspective. She also reported on K-12 education and city government and directed the newspaper’s Peninsula bureau. In addition, Bartindale serves as president of the San Jose Newspaper Guild, the union that represents employees of the Mercury News and Monterey County Herald. Her prior experience includes serving as editor at the Palo Alto Weekly and as a reporter for the Pasadena Star News.
“Becky enjoys a reputation as one of the finest education reporters in the Bay Area,” said board president Hal Plotkin. “She understands the challenges facing community colleges. She brings a wealth of experience to Foothill-De Anza and we will benefit from her leadership in this important position.”
Bartindale holds a master’s degree in law from Yale Law School and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Diego State University. She was one of five journalists selected for a Ford Foundation Fellowship for Journalists in 1980.
The Foothill-De Anza Community College District (http://www.fhda.edu/) has served the heart of Silicon Valley-the communities of Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and portions of San Jose, Santa Clara and Saratoga-for almost 50 years, providing workforce education and programs to prepare students for transfer to four-year institutions. Foothill and De Anza colleges together educate more than 44,000 students each quarter.
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