Derrell Bradford, the president of 50CAN, a national nonprofit that advocates for high-quality education for all children regardless of their address, will serve as the keynote speaker at the听2021 Commencement Ceremony听of the University of Notre Dame鈥檚听听on Saturday听(July 10).
鈥淲e are honored that Derrell has accepted our invitation and will celebrate our ACE graduates with us,鈥� said听, the executive director of ACE. 鈥淗e has worked tirelessly to ensure that children from historically marginalized communities have the same kind of access to quality educational opportunities that their more affluent peers already enjoy.鈥�
50CAN works to open more opportunities for children by supporting community leaders and advocates as they design and drive evidenced-based policy changes on the local level. In his role as president, Bradford oversees 50CAN鈥檚 national network of local executive directors and fellows听and听its policy initiatives. He has also worked with ACE鈥檚 Program for Educational Access to recruit and train advocates for data-driven, parent-centered education reform.
Bradford previously served as the executive director at Better Education for Kids (B4K) in New Jersey. At B4K, Bradford worked to secure passage of the tenure reform legislation TEACH NJ. B4K鈥檚 advocacy also led to electoral victories for reform-minded candidates across the state. Prior to B4K, Bradford spent nine years with New Jersey鈥檚 Excellent Education for Everyone as director of communications and then executive director. While there he also served on the state鈥檚 Educator Effectiveness Task Force.
Bradford frequently contributes to education debates in print, digital, radio and TV media. He is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and serves on several boards, including Success Academy Charter 91视频s, Yes Every Kid and the PIE Network. He was the founding board chair of EdBuild and is a senior visiting fellow at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and a member of the AEI Leadership Network. He is also a former board member of St. Anthony High 91视频 in Jersey City. A native of Baltimore, Bradford attended the St. Paul鈥檚 91视频 for Boys and the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a bachelor鈥檚 degree in English.
ACE commencement exercises are set for听4 p.m.听in the Joyce Athletic and Convocation Center. Notre Dame will bestow 130 graduate degrees upon the next generation of Catholic school teachers and leaders who completed periods of formation and service in two nationally recognized programs.
Eighty-four ACE Teaching Fellows graduates will receive听Master of Education degrees听as the culmination of two years of academic study combined with teaching in Catholic K-12 schools in underserved areas around the country. Forty-six graduates from ACE鈥檚 Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program will receive Master of Arts degrees in educational leadership, concluding 25 months of formation that prepared them to be principals and other leaders in Catholic education.