Roberta “Bobbi” Cordano, President, Gallaudet University (USDA Photo by Ken Melton)
Women and Adversity:
Roberta “Bobbi” Cordano
President of Gallaudet University
I’ve reached into the 21st century to feature women changing people’s lives today, and I discovered Roberta “Bobbi” Cordano. She is the first deaf woman president of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. It is the school founded in 1864 and dedicated to providing education for the deaf by using American Sign Language. It is the only liberal arts university in the world for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Cordano has held the office since January 1, 2016 and is also openly LGBTQ. Her parents are graduates of Gallaudet. Of their three daughters, two are deaf. Both her parents were successful, her mother in the medical field, her father in the sports arena.
She was named a USA Today 2023 Women of the Year honoree. Cordona believes everyone should be taught sign language from birth. This, of course, bridges the gap between hearing and deaf. She is a founding member of the pre-K-8 Metro Deaf School in St. Paul, MN, and left that board to build Minnesota North Star Academy, for the graduates of the Metro Dead School. In 2010 the two schools merged as K-12 Metro Deaf School.
Bio:
- Born November 29, 1963 in Wisconsin
- 1978-1982 – Delavan-Darien High School, Delavan, WI
- 1981 – Foreign exchange student in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a hearing family
- “It was a huge transformational experience for me,” she said. “I learned how the
hearing world and culture works.” - 1982-1986 – Bachelor of Arts degree from Beloit College, Beloit, WI
- 1987-1990 – Law degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School
Career:
- Assistant Attorney General, State of Minnesota
- Assistant dean for the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, U. of MN
- Vice president of programs for Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, Saint Paul, MN
- Interim president for Center of Healthcare Innovation at Allina Hospital Clinic
- President of Park Nicollet Institute
- Vice President of Park Nicollet Health Services
Personal life
- Spouse – Mary Baremore
- Sons – Elliot and Jonathan
More Information:
https://gallaudet.edu/about
https://www.twincities.com/2015/12/11/st-pauls-bobbi-cordano-to-continue-her-work-for-the-deaf-as-president-of-gallaudet-university
www.facebook.com/robertacordano
