(PHOENIX, Ariz., Aug. 16, 2004) - Casandra Kakar, associate dean of Continuing Education & Community Service has been appointed the interim dean of instruction at Phoenix College. Kakar has been a dedicated member of the Phoenix College community for 14 years, serving in various capacities from Applied Business full-time faculty to associate dean. She brings a wealth of knowledge to this position.

While serving as the associate dean of Continuing Education & Community Service, Kakar provided assistance to the dean of instruction in all areas related to the administration and management of the college’s off-site instructional programs. She was also responsible for Continuing Education, Community Education, Custom Training & Education, management of the PEP grant and Arizona – Child Ready/System Ready grant. In addition, she provided vital support to the President’s Roundtable.

The Parent Education for Prevention Project Grant (PEP) is designed to deliver parenting training classes throughout Maricopa County and the class content focuses on three areas of parenting education that have proven results in prevention and promoting responsible decision making among youth: understanding child development; parent-child communication; and, family-school-community interaction. This project is open to anyone who is a parent of a child (infant through 12th grade) and is a current resident of Maricopa County. PEP helps keep children in school. Additionally, the System Ready/Child Ready Grant’s purpose is to enhance school readiness of young children, particularly disadvantaged young children, and to prevent children from encountering difficulty once they enter school by improving the knowledge and skills of educators who work in communities with high concentrations of children living in poverty.

Kakar brings valuable teaching experience to the position. She taught full-time for the Applied Business Department from September 1983 to May 1985. She also taught as an adjunct for five years.

In addition to her years of service with Phoenix College, Kakar brings experience in corporate management. She was the vice president of Systems Solutions Inc. and a senior merchandise manager/buyer for J.C. Penney.

Kakar is also an active member within her community. She served on the board of the American Heart Association and has been a contributor to Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Rotary 100 -Youth Programs, Animal Welfare League, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and United Way.

Kakar received a M.B.A. from Arizona State University and a B.A. from Texas Tech University.

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