United States Under Secretary of Education, former De Anza College  President and District Chancellor Martha Kanter was on the receiving end of a short joke by Jay Leno aired on his program “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” Oct. 21. 

In a segment titled “Anybody Got a Stepstool?” Leno played C-SPAN clips of the 4’10 Kanter speaking at the White House Summit on Community Colleges on Oct. 5.

“Give the woman a stool, if we can find one for Ahmadinejad, then we can find one for her,” Leno said.

When Kanter spoke to audiences in the district she actually did have a specially made stepping stool, said Vice President of Finance and Educational Resources Letha Jeanpierre. “I’m sure she loved it, she even said ‘I hope you can see me’ jokingly.”

When asked about the Leno joke, Associate Vice President of Finances and Educational Resoruces Donna Jones-Dulin said “I thought it was funny, it’s no reflection of her capabilities.”

Martha Kanter, 4’10” tip toes up to the microphone. (Courtesy of C-Span)