Cheryl D. Blanco, Ph.D., is vice president for special projects at the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). She oversees special initiatives on college readiness and college completions and develops new projects. Blanco’s career has focused primarily on higher education policy and research and the connections between postsecondary and K-12 education.

Prior to joining the SREB staff, Blanco was vice president for national college access programs and executive director of the Pathways to College Network at TERI, vice president for policy and research at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, senior program director for policy analysis and research at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, and educational policy director at the Florida Postsecondary Education Planning Commission.

She has held positions at Arecibo Technological University College, University of Puerto Rico, including assistant to the vice president for academic affairs, director of the office of continuing education, and tenured associate professor in the English Department.

Blanco received her Ph.D. in higher education from Florida State University.