Biography

Dr. Marielena DeSanctis commenced her tenure as the President of the Community College of Denver on January 15, 2021. Dr. DeSanctis most recently served as Provost & Senior VP of Academic Affairs and Student Services at Broward College. In the K-12 sector, Dr. DeSanctis has served as a teacher, High School Principal, and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction for Broward County Public Schools. She also brings with her almost six years of experience as an engineer in private industry.

She has served as a committee member and leader of several professional organizations including her election to the position of State President of the Florida Association of School Administrators; Senate confirmation as a member of the Florida Education Practices Commission; and a Board member of the National Community College Hispanic Council. Dr. DeSanctis currently serves as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Board on Higher Education and the Workforce; a member of the NASEM Roundtable for Systemic Change in Undergraduate STEM Education; a member of Jobs for the Future Policy Trust Council; on the Workforce Development Committee of Downtown Denver Partnership; and as a Board Member of the Colorado Education Initiative. She is a graduate of the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence, and Leadership Florida. She received the 2016 Hispanic Woman of Distinction among other honors.

Marielena earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology; a master’s degree in Math Education from Nova Southeastern University; and an Ed.S. and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University. Marielena is a Cuban American native of south Florida, fluent in Spanish, and a mother of two children - Conner (28), an engineer; and Allie (25), a third-year law student. She is married to Lance DeSanctis and lives in Castle Rock, Colorado.