Secretary of Education

Cynthia “Cindy” Marten brings to Delaware more than 36 years of experience in education leadership, policy, and classroom instruction. Before being confirmed as the state’s Secretary of Education in January 2025, she served as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education, overseeing K-12 initiatives and managing a $230-billion federal education budget. In this role, she led efforts to close opportunity gaps, strengthen literacy programs, and expand access to high-quality education nationwide.

Prior to her federal service, Marten was the superintendent of San Diego Unified School District, California’s second-largest school district. Under her leadership, San Diego Unified achieved the highest graduation rate among large urban districts in the state and, in 2019, recorded the fastest reading growth among major U.S. school districts. Marten implemented groundbreaking policies to support the whole child, integrating academic rigor, social-emotional learning, and the arts into student success strategies.

Marten spent over a decade serving the diverse City Heights community as a teacher, instructional leader, and principal. Her deep commitment to equity, multilingual education, and student-centered learning has shaped her approach to education. She has also been a national advocate for student health and wellness, leading award-winning initiatives recognized by the American Heart Association and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

Marten’s leadership is instrumental in moving Governor Matt Meyer’s goals forward as Delaware works to build an education system that is equitable, innovative, and prepared for the challenges of the future. Meyer has prioritized comprehensive education reform, focusing on increasing per-pupil funding, modernizing the state’s school funding formula, expanding access to early childhood education, investing in universal pre-K, and addressing the teacher shortage crisis by raising educator salaries and improving working conditions.