Teri Cannon, JD joined the Antioch University Board of Governors in June 2021. She will be serving on the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board.
Q. What about Antioch University do you find most compelling and intriguing?
I am very drawn to the history, mission, and legacy of Antioch. The founding by Horace Mann and the progressive social justice-oriented mission fit with my own values and professional work. It is important to me to be part of institutions that are serving the underserved and educating people who want both to improve their own lives and the lives of others.
Q. I am sure you have many responsibilities currently in your life. What has drawn you to serve on the Board of Governors of Antioch University?
I am indeed very busy and have many responsibilities in my role as President of Minerva Institute. But I am also committed to contributing to higher education and to the legal profession and have served in many pro bono appointed roles throughout my entire career. I find it very rewarding to work with an organization that is providing values-driven education.
Q. What contributions do you hope to bring as a Board member to leading Antioch University?
I have a background in accreditation, international education, diversity, and innovation in higher education and I hope that I can contribute to Antioch in those areas. The exercise of effective stewardship by governing boards is essential to a university’s ability to fulfill its mission and to promote student achievement. I want to be part of that as Antioch continues to grow and change in the coming years.
Q. What do you hope to learn as a Board member about leading universities in today’s complicated environment?
As a new board member, I first need to learn much more about Antioch—the people who make up Antioch and the challenges it faces. The current environment is indeed complicated, and change is taking place very quickly. I would like for the board to understand the dynamics in society and higher education and how Antioch best fits into that landscape, how it might fulfill its mission in the most impactful way at this time and going forward.
Q. If I were to do this interview with you 5 years from now, what would you like to be able to say about Antioch University? About your service on the Board?
In five years, I would like Antioch to be firmly established as a socially impactful institution, with thousands more graduates who contribute to the world the way that Horace Mann talked about, “winning some victory for humanity.” I can envision an Antioch with a larger student body and an expanded reach. This will require a sharp focus on the mission, students, and financial sustainability.
Q. What would you like our readers to know about you that they might not know from your brief bio statement?
I have a 30-year-old son who is a lawyer/public defender. I also live in Berkeley accompanied by an energetic Australian Shepherd named Murphy who takes me for walks all over Berkeley three times a day. I love to cook, entertain, travel and learn about other countries and cultures, and go to art museums and galleries.
Professional Bio:
Teri Cannon is the President of Minerva Institute, which operates Minerva Schools at KGI. Teri Cannon is a lawyer and higher education professional with more than 40 years of experience in various academic, leadership, and consulting roles for a wide variety of institutions and accrediting agencies. She has consulted with more than 40 educational institutions on issues related to accreditation, student achievement, governance, and organizational change and development. At Minerva, which she joined in 2021, she served on the Senior Team and oversaw accreditation, legal matters, and Student Life before her appointment as President.
Prior to that, she served as Executive Vice President of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WCSUC), and was dean of two small California law schools and associate dean at a major public university. She served as the Educational Consultant to the California Committee of Bar Examiners, which accredits law schools in California, and to the American Bar Association for the approval of paralegal education programs. She has served on several governing boards and two accrediting commissions, and has written and spoken widely on issues related to accreditation, governance, the changing landscape of higher education, legal ethics, access to legal services, and diversity in the legal profession and the academy. Ms. Cannon holds an undergraduate degree from UCLA and a law degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.
