The Foothill-De Anza Community College District has hired Becky Bartindale, an education reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, as director of communications and public affairs, effective Jan. 2.

“We are delighted to have found a person of Becky’s caliber to serve as lead spokesperson for the district,” said Chancellor Martha J. Kanter. “Open communication and transparency about the performance of our students and the goals, accomplishments and challenges facing our district are essential to our future. Becky has an outstanding reputation and the expertise critical for communicating the district’s positions and needs to our local residents as well as state and national leaders.”

During her 15 years with the Mercury News, Bartindale covered higher education, including the challenges California’s community colleges face. She also reported on K-12 education and city government and directed the newspaper’s Peninsula bureau. She serves as president of the San Jose Newspaper Guild, the union that represents employees of the Mercury News and Monterey County Herald. Previously, she was editor at the Palo Alto Weekly and a reporter for the Pasadena Star News.

“Becky enjoys a reputation as one of the finest education reporters in the Bay Area,” said Hal Plotkin, president of the Foothill-De Anza Board of Trustees. “She understands the challenges facing community colleges. She brings a wealth of experience to Foothill-De Anza, and we will benefit from her leadership in this important position.”

Bartindale holds a master’s degree in law from Yale Law School and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Diego State University. She was one of five journalists selected for a Ford Foundation Fellowship for Journalists in 1980.

“I am looking forward to being associated with an educational institution that does such important work in the community,” Bartindale said. “The Foothill-De Anza Community College District offers students many wonderful learning opportunities. I hope to help make more people aware of what the district has to offer, and build on its good work.”