Betty Castor

Who is Betty Castor?

Betty Castor is an American educator and former politician and elected officeholder. Castor was elected to the Florida Senate and the Florida Education Commissioner, and she later served as the President of the University of South Florida, and President of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Her public service included three terms in the Florida State Senate and one term as a Hillsborough County Commissioner. In 2004, she was the Democratic nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat of retiring Senator Bob Graham and was narrowly defeated by Mel Martinez.

She is the mother of Kathy Castor, who is the Democratic Congresswoman from the Florida's 11th congressional district. Currently, Betty Castor is the Director of the Patel Center for Global Solutions at the University of South Florida.