Debra Sanchez is senior vice president, Education and Children's Content Operations for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She develops and oversees children’s content investments and educational initiatives at the national level and works closely with stations to enhance their development and execution of local educational services.
Prior to joining CPB, she was vice president of Government Relations for the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS). In this role, she was the primary education policy professional for the public television community and provided strategic counsel on pursuing Pre-K to postsecondary federal initiatives. Working with Members of Congress on Capitol Hill, Sanchez built bipartisan support for the Ready To Learn and Ready to Teach initiatives and worked aggressively to have these successfully included in the No Child Left Behind Act. Sanchez also worked to secure annual federal appropriations for both programs.
Prior to her work in public broadcasting, she was a special education teacher in Arlington, Virginia and Highland, Indiana. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education from Indiana University.