John King Jr.

For other people named John King, see John King (disambiguation).

John King Jr.
King in 2016
15th Chancellor of the State University of New York
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2023
Preceded byDeborah F. Stanley (interim)
10th United States Secretary of Education
In office
January 1, 2016 – January 20, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
DeputyJames Cole Jr. (acting)
Preceded byArne Duncan
Succeeded byBetsy DeVos
United States Deputy Secretary of Education
Acting
January 4, 2015 – January 1, 2016
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byJames H. Shelton
Succeeded byMick Zais
Education Commissioner of New York
In office
June 15, 2011 – January 4, 2015
Preceded byDavid Steiner
Succeeded byMaryEllen Elia
Personal details
Born (1975-01-05) January 5, 1975 (age 49)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMelissa Steel
Children2
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Columbia University (MEd, EdD)
Yale University (JD)

John B. King Jr. (born January 5, 1975) is an American educator, civil servant, and former state and federal government official who is the 15th Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY).[1] He previously served as President & CEO of The Education Trust, a national civil rights nonprofit which seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps for students from preschool through college.[2] A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 10th United States Secretary of Education from January 1, 2016, to January 20, 2017, under President Barack Obama.[3] In April 2021, King announced that he would be running for the Democratic nomination in the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election, but came in sixth place in the primary election, losing to Baltimore author Wes Moore.[4]

Immediately before he assumed leadership of the U.S. Department of Education, King served as its Acting Deputy Secretary from 2015 until 2016.[5][6] He previously was the New York State Education Commissioner from 2011 to 2014.[7] King's predecessor as U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan,[8][9] was charged with implementing the No Child Left Behind Act; however, King was obliged to carry out the provisions of that law's modified successor legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act.[10]

On December 5, 2022, King was appointed Chancellor of the State University of New York, succeeding interim chancellor Deborah F. Stanley and becoming its second Black chancellor, with Clifton R. Wharton Jr. being the first, and first Puerto Rican chancellor.[11] He took office on January 9, 2023.[12]

  1. ^ "Chancellor John B. King, Jr". SUNY.
  2. ^ "John B. King Jr. to Serve as President and CEO of The Education Trust - The Education Trust". The Education Trust. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  3. ^ "John B. King Jr., Acting Secretary of Education—Biography". www.ed.gov. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved August 5, 2016. Public domain This article incorporates public domain material from this U.S government document.
  4. ^ Witte, Brian (July 23, 2022). "Author Wes Moore wins Democratic race for Maryland governor". Associated Press. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  5. ^ "NY Education Commissioner John King to Join Education Department as Senior Advisor | U.S. Department of Education". www.ed.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  6. ^ Camera, Lauren (October 5, 2015). "5 Things to Know About the New Education Secretary; Arne Duncan's replacement has gone to battle with teachers unions, and they're not happy about his promotion". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  7. ^ Taylor, Kate (December 10, 2014). "New York State Education Commissioner to Leave for Federal Post". New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  8. ^ Harris, Gardiner; Rich, Motoko (October 2, 2015), "Arne Duncan, Education Secretary, to Step Down in December", The New York Times, retrieved August 5, 2016
  9. ^ Skiba, Katherine (October 2, 2015). "Arne Duncan stepping down, returning to Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  10. ^ Scott, Amy (August 4, 2016). "What to expect from new education chief John King". Marketplace. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  11. ^ Reisman, Nick (December 5, 2022). "Former U.S. Education Secretary John King to lead New York SUNY system". nystateofpolitics.com. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  12. ^ "SUNY trustees name John King new chancellor". WAMC. December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.