De’Shawn Wright is the former New York deputy secretary for education under Gov. Andrew Cuomo. In this capacity, he was responsible for developing and implementing the governor’s statewide education agenda, overseeing an annual budget of more than $20 billion, and managing the administration’s collaborations with the Department of Education, State University of New York, City University of New York, and the Higher Education Services Corporation.

Most recently, he served as senior manager for public policy at Uber Technologies, where he oversaw public affairs, policy, and communications in the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut region. Previously, Wright was president/CEO of Keystone Consulting LLC, a firm he founded to provide strategy, policy, management, and operations support for a diverse range of organizations and leaders in the nonprofit, government, and private sectors.

Prior to joining the Cuomo Administration, Wright was deputy mayor for education under Mayor Vincent Gray in Washington, D.C. There, he created a citywide birth-to-24 strategy that included early childhood education, K- 12, postsecondary education, and workforce development. Wright’s portfolio included District of Columbia Public Schools, the Office of the State Superintendent for Education, the Public Charter School Board, and the University of District of Columbia/District of Columbia Community College.

Wright was also chief policy advisor to Newark Mayor Cory Booker and a policy analyst in New York City’s Office of Operations under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Wright held several senior management positions in the New York City Department of Education during the tenure of Chancellor Joel Klein and was a founding partner of the Newark Charter School Fund.

Wright has a master’s in public administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and a bachelor’s from James Madison University. He was a member of the first cohort of the Future Chiefs leadership development program.