Title: President, Antioch University Seattle
When Dr. Cassandra Manuelito-Kerkvliet was chosen as president of Antioch University Seattle in 2007, she became the first American Indian woman to ascend to the presidency of an accredited university outside the tribal college system.
Prior to her appointment in Seattle, Manuelito-Kerkvliet served as the first woman president of Diné College, the first tribally-controlled community college, located on the Navajo reservation in Tsaile, Ariz. She is the great, great granddaughter of Navajo Chief Manuelito.
At Oregon State University, she founded and directed the Indian Education Office. She has worked in various student services and counseling positions at the University of Oregon, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, University of Wyoming and Montana State University.
She serves on the Seattle Community Colleges Chancellor’s Advisory Council. Manuelito-Kerkvliet is a member of the executive board of Washington State Campus Compact and the Board of Directors of the Higher Education Resource Services and the Washington Women’s Foundation. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Seattle. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work, a master’s in counselor education, and a Ph.D. in educational policy and management with a specialization in higher education administration.
