John King Jr.
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). 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. 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. 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.
John King Jr. | |
|---|---|
| 15th Chancellor of the State University of New York | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Deborah F. Stanley (interim) |
| 10th United States Secretary of Education | |
| In office January 1, 2016 – January 20, 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Deputy | James Cole Jr. (acting) |
| Preceded by | Arne Duncan |
| Succeeded by | Betsy DeVos |
| United States Deputy Secretary of Education | |
Acting | |
| In office January 4, 2015 – January 1, 2016 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | James H. Shelton |
| Succeeded by | Mick Zais |
| Education Commissioner of New York | |
| In office June 15, 2011 – January 4, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | David Steiner |
| Succeeded by | MaryEllen Elia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 5, 1975 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Melissa Steel |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) Columbia University (MEd, EdD) Yale University (JD) |
Immediately before he assumed leadership of the U.S. Department of Education, King served as its Acting Deputy Secretary from 2015 until 2016. He previously was the New York State Education Commissioner from 2011 to 2014. King's predecessor as U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, 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.
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. He took office on January 9, 2023.