Norma V. Cantu

Norma Cantú
Cantú in 2017
Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights
In office
January 20, 2021 – March 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byCatherine E. Lhamon
Succeeded byRochelle Mercedes Garza[1]
Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office for Civil Rights
In office
May 24, 1993 – January 20, 2001
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byMichael L. Williams
Succeeded byGerald A. Reynolds
Personal details
Born (1954-11-02) November 2, 1954 (age 70)
Brownsville, Texas, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Texas–Pan American (B.A.)
Harvard Law School (JD)

Norma V. Cantú (born November 2, 1954) is an American civil rights lawyer and educator. From 2021 to 2023, she served as chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, the first Latina to hold the position.

She previously served as a professor of law and education at the University of Texas at Austin. She served as the Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office for Civil Rights under President Bill Clinton and as regional counsel for the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.[2]

  1. ^ "Rochelle Garza Commissioner". U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Facebook. United States Government. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  2. ^ "UT Law Faculty – Norma V Cantu".