Dennis Walcott

Dennis M. Walcott
Dennis Walcott
Chair of the New York City Districting Commission
In office
March 7, 2022 – December 31, 2022
Appointed byEric Adams
Chancellor of the
New York City Department of Education
In office
April 17, 2011 – December 31, 2013
MayorMichael Bloomberg
Preceded byCathie Black
Succeeded byCarmen Fariña
Deputy Mayor of New York City for Education
In office
January 1, 2002 – April 17, 2011
Preceded byposition established
Personal details
Born (1951-09-07) September 7, 1951 (age 73)
Queens, New York
NationalityAmerican
SpouseDenise St. Hill
Alma materUniversity of Bridgeport (B.Ed., M.Ed.)
Fordham University (MSW)

Dennis M. Walcott (born September 7, 1951) is the former Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education. He succeeded Cathie Black, who resigned in April 2011 after only three months on the job.[1] He was succeeded as chancellor by Carmen Fariña.[2] He is the president and chief executive officer of Queens Public Library.[3]

Although Walcott lacks training as a schools administrator,[4] he served nine years as New York City Deputy Mayor for Education and was a member of the NYC Board of Education. He required a waiver from the New York State Education Department under Education Commissioner David M. Steiner. Walcott is a former employee at Amistad Day Care Center[5][6] and holds a master's degrees in the education field.

Prior to joining Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2002 as Deputy Mayor for Education, he headed the New York chapter of the Urban League.[4][7] In March 2016, Walcott was selected as president and CEO of the Queens Public Library.[8][9] and was criticized [10] for overseeing the Library's first branch closure despite increased funding.[11]

  1. ^ "Walcott on New York Times". Last updated: April 7, 2011. New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  2. ^ "Chancellor Fariña and the Leadership Team - DOE Leadership - New York City Department of Education". schools.nyc.gov. Archived from the original on 2014-09-19.
  3. ^ "Library Leadership | Queens Public Library". www.queenslibrary.org. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  4. ^ a b Daniel Massey, "Meet the new guy: Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott", "Crain's New York Business," April 7, 2011 http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110407/FREE/110409898
  5. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2011-04-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ Amistad Day Care Center - Jamaica, New York - NY - School overview. Greatschools.org. Retrieved on 2013-08-16.
  7. ^ New York City Department of Education website, February 2009, "Q+A with Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott" http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/SchoolNews/CitySchools/Issues/022009/walcott.htm
  8. ^ Rojas, Rick (2016-03-01). "Dennis Walcott, Former Schools Chancellor, Is Named C.E.O. of Queens Library". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  9. ^ "DENNIS M. WALCOTT SELECTED AS PRESIDENT & CEO | Queens Library". Queens Library. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  10. ^ "Long Island City councilman condemns Queens Public Library president for closure of Court Square branch". Queens. qns.com. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Public libraries bolstered by historic budget increase". Queens Eagle. queenseagle.com. Retrieved 18 June 2019.