Robert Sanborn is a nationally known activist for education and children and is the President/CEO of Children At Risk

Children At Risk

Children At Risk is a 501 non-profit policy research and advocacy organization in Houston, Texas which focuses on improving children's quality of life. Founded in 1989, its primary areas of focus are poverty, childhood health, public education, and safety issues...

  in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

. He has been president since 2005. Sanborn was born in Caribou, Maine

Caribou, Maine

Caribou is the second largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. Its population was 8,189 at the 2010 census.-History:Between 1838 and 1839, the undeclared Aroostook War flared between the United States and Canada, and the Battle of Caribou occurred in December 1838...

 and raised in Puerto Rico.

Sanborn served on the staff and/or faculties of Rice University

Rice University

William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...

 (Associate Dean & Faculty), Hampshire College

Hampshire College

Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...

 (Dean & Faculty), Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 (Staff & Faculty), the University of Tulsa

University of Tulsa

The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...

 (Vice President & Faculty), Emory University (Staff) and the University of Massachusetts (Faculty). He also served as the CEO of the Education Foundation of Harris County where his accomplishments included a significant rise in resources, partnerships and visibility for urban public education.

He earned his undergraduate degree at Florida State University

Florida State University

The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...

 and his doctorate at Columbia University in New York City. He has also served as an advisor and board member to numerous non-profit organizations.

Dr. Sanborn is an editor of Growing Up in Houston and has authored 12 books and over forty articles on education, career development and related education topics. He has hosted his own radio and television programs, and has spoken to numerous conferences, civic, business, education, and student groups on a variety of topics.

On May 1, 2009, the University of Houston–Downtown

University of Houston–Downtown

The University of Houston–Downtown is a four-year state university, and is a distinct component institution of the University of Houston System. Its campus spans 20-acre in Downtown Houston, with a satellite location in northwestern Harris County...

announced that Sanborn was one of four candidates to become the next president of the university.