Mayor Vincent C. Gray Congratulates Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright on New Position

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Mayor Vincent C. Gray today congratulated Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright on his appointment to the top education post in the nation’s third most-populous state. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) today announced that he was naming Wright Deputy Secretary for Education, the Empire State’s highest education official.

Jennifer Leonard, Wright’s Chief of Staff, will transition to serving as Interim Deputy Mayor for Education in November, and serve in that capacity through the Fiscal Year 2014 budget season.

“De’Shawn is a brilliant educational innovator and a tireless public servant, and our loss is definitely New York’s gain,” Mayor Gray said. “He has done a spectacular job serving the children, families and educators of the District of Columbia, and we will miss his extraordinary gifts sorely. I congratulate Gov. Cuomo on a wise choice for his state. I’m also thankful that Jennifer has agreed to step-in in the interim and provide a seamless transition as we continue to move forward with ensuring that every child in the District of Columbia has access to a top-quality education.”

Wright has served as the District’s Deputy Mayor for Education since the beginning of Mayor Gray’s administration in January 2011. Previously, he served in several teaching, educational administration and policy positions in New York City’s public schools and the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Immediately prior to joining the District government, he served as Chief Policy Adviser to Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

Wright earned his bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and a master’s degree in public administration from New York University's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.

“I started my education career in New York, and this is an opportunity for me to return to the place that I called home for over a decade to continue, on a larger scale, the kind of work that I was privileged to do with the District government,” Deputy Mayor Wright said. “It has been an honor to serve DC, and my former office will be left in good hands as it moves forward with Mayor Gray’s education agenda.”

Prior to her role as Chief of Staff, Leonard served as a special education legal consultant and as Executive Director of the DC Assembly on School Health Care. A Ward 4 resident, she holds bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree in business administration from Louisiana State University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

“De’Shawn’s energy and leadership have laid the groundwork for significant progress on many fronts, and I’m thrilled and honored to provide continuity as we press ahead in ensuring high quality education reform in the District,” Leonard said. “We wish him well as he brings his many skills to bear on New York’s educational system.”