Sanda Balaban Named New Executive Director of Project Pericles

NEW YORK–The Board  of Directors  of Project Pericles is delighted to announce the  election  of Sanda Balaban as its new Executive Director  following  a national search. 

An alumna of Swarthmore College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Balaban brings more than 20 years of experience  in education and nonprofit leadership to Project Pericles.  She will begin  her new position  in mid-July,  succeeding  Jan Risë Liss who has led the organization since 2005.  ​

Balaban is currently the Co-Founder and Director of YVote/Next Generation Politics, an organization that engages young people through issue-driven and peer-led civic learning and leadership programs. She founded the organization in 2017 as a response to the societal challenges highlighted by the tumultuous 2016 election cycle. In collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, leading activists, and with young people at the center, Balaban created the organization’s five signature programs, established  a strong  media  presence, and secured $2 million in funding over the years.  YVote/Next Generation Politics is a highly effective and well-regarded youth civic organization, serving more than 1,500 secondary school students to date in developing civic identity, agency, and efficacy. 
  
“Sanda's strategic and entrepreneurial vision, substantial leadership experience, knowledge of civic education, and experience in advocacy for democratic participation will strengthen the programs on our college and university member campuses, enhance Project Pericles as a driver of excellence, and contribute to greater civic engagement throughout the country,” said Richard Ekman, Project Pericles Board Chair.   
Search Committee Chair Eugene Tobin added: “Sanda’s commitment to liberal education, social justice, and passion for encouraging and motivating young people to view democracy and its institutions as vehicles for positive change represent an inspirational model that will resonate powerfully across American higher education.” 

Earlier in her career, Sanda served as the Executive Director of the  New York State  Governor's Committee on Scholastic Achievement mentoring program, Director of Strategic Learning Initiatives for Facing History and Ourselves, and  held several  leadership roles at the New York City Department of Education. She has also worked in philanthropy at the Ford Foundation and Goldman Sachs Foundation, and for nonprofits including the Boston Private Industry Council and The Teachers Network. Her current board memberships include Generation Vote, the Human Schools Project, the Hope Reichbach Memorial Fund, and the Chalkbeat National Reader Advisory Board.  
  
Jan Risë Liss, Founding Executive Director of Project Pericles who will be stepping down in July,  highlighted her confidence for the future: “Under Sanda Balaban’s leadership, the organization will continue its commitment to empower students through signature programs which equip our campuses to drive meaningful change at the local and national levels. Project Pericles is at a high point organizationally and the timing is right for generational change. Sanda’s  leadership presents a prime opportunity to create an even brighter future in service of our member institutions, civic engagement, democracy, and higher education more broadly.” 
  
“I am honored to join Project Pericles and build upon its legacy,” says Balaban. “Leading Project Pericles offers a powerful platform through which to continue creating programs to foster civic agency and  to deepen the ways in which colleges and universities prepare students for effective civic participation.  Influencing the growth of students during this important developmental window of early adulthood  is the key to American democracy’s vitality in the future.” 

Balaban emphasizes the importance of Project Pericles’ work: “If we are to counter some of the alienating headwinds that divide us and instead cultivate ways of being and doing that unite us, we must invest in young people and create meaningful ways for them to engage in constructive civil discourse and civic action. I look forward to working in partnership with  presidents,  provosts, and Periclean  program  directors to create a springboard for lifelong civic participation and social responsibility.” 

About Project Pericles: ​Project Pericles is a consortium of colleges and universities that promotes civic engagement within higher education. Building on the innovative vision of Eugene M. Lang, Project Pericles works at the forefront of civic engagement and social responsibility in areas including faculty and course development, curricular coherence, community engagement, and research into best practices. ​ ​Its programs empower college students by giving them the tools they need to  address  society's grand challenges including: climate change,  economic  justice, education access, immigration,  mass  incarceration, public health, race and inequality, and  voter engagement. In addition to working with 29 Periclean campuses, Project Pericles works with faculty at more than 50 colleges and universities.
Project Pericles  has received support from a wide range of individuals and organizations  including The Eugene M. Lang Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the Mellon Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, The Teagle Foundation, and Up to Us/Net Impact. 

Contact: For inquiries, contact Arielle del Rosario at [email protected] and (908) 510-6287.

A PDF of the press release can be downloaded here.

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