President Barack Obama will appoint Dillard alumna Cythia Butler-McIntyre to the board of trustees of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation. The news came as Obama announced his intent to nominate or appoint 28 individuals to “key administrative posts” in the near future.

“I am confident that these outstanding men and women will greatly serve the American people in their new roles,” Obama said, “and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

Butler-McIntyre graduated from Dillard University in 1976 with a B.A. in early childhood education. She is the director of human resources in the Jefferson Parish Public School System in Louisiana and the national president of Delta Sigma Theta, a public service organization. She is a national board member of the National Council of Negro Women, a past national board member of the National Alliance of Black School Educators, and the secretary of the Louisiana State Association of School Personnel Administrators. She holds an honorary doctorate of divinity from Christian Bible College of Louisiana and an M.A. in educational administration from the University of New Orleans.

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation is an independent federal government agency established to “encourage and support research, study and labor designed to produce new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind.” Governed by a presidentially appointed board of trustees, the foundation seeks to nurture and recognize pioneering individuals and programs that reflect the visionary spirit and pioneering heritage of Christopher Columbus.

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation was founded in 1992. It awards individuals for extraordinary work in the fields of agricultural science, life sciences, homeland security, community service, special education and more.

Referenced Article from http://www.dillard.edu/