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SUNY selects former New York education commissioner as its next chancellor

The SUNY board of trustees has appointed John King, Jr. (center) as the system’s 15th chancellor. Pictured with King are Merryl Tisch (left), chair of the SUNY board of trustees, and Cesar Perales, the board’s vice chairman. (Photo credit: SUNY)

Stanley’s appointment followed her retirement as president of SUNY Oswego.

King’s background

From 2011 to the beginning of 2015, when he joined the administration of President Barack Obama, Chancellor King served as New York State’s first African American and first Puerto Rican education commissioner between 2011 and the beginning of 2015. At that point, King then joined the Obama administration as delegated deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Obama nominated King as secretary of education a few months later.

King currently serves as president of the Education Trust, a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit organization that promotes high academic achievement for all students in early childhood, K-12 education, and higher education.

King brings to the role “decades of experience” as a leader in education administration and policy at the local, state, and national levels. He has focused on expanding access to “high-quality, affordable education in recognition of the transformative power it holds for students from all walks of life,” SUNY said.

SUNY is the largest system of public higher education in the U.S.

Eric Reinhardt