The Senate has confirmed Danté Quintin Allen as commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration at the U.S. Department of Education. Secretary Cardona issued the following statement:

“With the confirmation of Mr. Danté Allen as commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the Department of Education is gaining a passionate advocate for students and individuals with disabilities and a proven leader with vast public and private sector experience. Mr. Allen joins our Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services after an impressive run as executive director at CalABLE, where he helped empower thousands of Californians with disabilities and their families to invest in themselves and their financial futures. I look forward to working together with Mr. Allen to provide individuals with disabilities and all students with equitable access to the education and training they need to find good-paying jobs; achieve economic security; and lead healthy, independent lives.”

About Danté Quintin Allen

Danté Allen serves as the executive director for CalABLE, California’s qualified federal ABLE Act savings and investment program for people with disabilities. Allen has led CalABLE since its launch in 2018 and has grown the program’s reach with more than 8,000 active accounts with nearly $80 million in assets under management. During its three years in operation, CalABLE has become the fastest-growing ABLE program in the United States. Prior to joining CalABLE, Allen also served as a communications leader in the public and private sectors. Allen served in the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Equity as a senior communications officer, and at Kaiser Permanente, where he served as the communications director for the organization’s senior operations executive.

Born with spina bifida, Allen is a fulltime wheelchair user. Allen is a staunch proponent of disability rights and equity. He has been a champion in advocating for the awareness of the reduction of healthcare and financial disparities especially among people of color and people with disabilities. He serves as a board member for Resources for Independent Living, Sacramento, a nonprofit that supports the needs of people with disabilities to live as independently as possible. He has also contributed in leadership roles in employee resource groups for people with disabilities throughout his career. Allen received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Davis and a master’s degree at The University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism and Communication.