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PRESS RELEASE
Gray Names Five Appointees to Lead Reforms in Education, Employment Services, Human Rights and Services for SeniorsMayor-Elect Vince Gray today announced the nominations of two top educators with extensive backgrounds in urban education policy and management to help lead his efforts to continue aggressive school reform: De’Shawn A. Wright, who is currently with the Newark Public Schools, will be the Deputy Mayor for Education; and Hosanna Mahaley, formerly with the Chicago and Atlanta Public Schools, will be the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). Gray also announced that he has chosen Rochelle L. Webb to lead a major transformation of the Department of Employment Services as its Director; Gustavo Velazquez, to head the Office of Human Rights; and Clarence Brown, Executive Director of the Office on Aging. The Mayor-Elect’s statement is below. In talking about education reform as the number one priority of my administration, I have focused on the need for birth-to-24 programs that nurture and educate our children from infancy to adulthood. With that in mind, I want to thank Interim Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson and Dr. Allen Sessoms, President of the University of the District of Columbia, for accepting my invitation to be here today for the announcements of two educators who will be key to implementing a holistic approach to education in the District of Columbia I have selected De’Shawn A. Wright to be the Deputy Mayor for Education and Hosanna Mahaley to head the Office of the State Superintendent of Education--known as OSSE. Since 2006, De’Shawn Wright has been a senior advisor to Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey, where he worked to develop a comprehensive education reform agenda for the Newark Public Schools. In this capacity, Mr. Wright has led collaborative efforts with the Governor’s Office, the State Department of Education and two newly-created education funds that will invest $250 million in private dollars over five years to support the transformation of Newark schools. Mr. Wright also was a founding partner of the Newark Charter School Fund, an $18 million dollar education fund created by the Gates, Walton, Fisher and Robertson Foundations to support charter schools in that city. His background includes policy, management, and classroom teaching positions with the New York City Department of Education. Mr. Wright has a Master of Public of Administration from New York University and a B.S. from James Madison University. Upon his confirmation by the Council, I expect Mr. Wright to be very instrumental in building what I consider to be an ineffective Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education. He will be responsible for developing an overall strategic plan that fosters collaboration and coordination among the various agencies that serve children. One of those agencies will be OSSE and I believe Hosanna Mahaley has the leadership qualities and experience to head OSSE as the State Superintendent of Education. OSSE has oversight in administering millions of dollars in local and federal funds, monitoring school compliance with laws and regulations, and managing statewide special education services. Since 2009, Mahaley has been Executive Director of Social Justice and District Innovation at the Wireless Generation in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Wireless Generation serves more than 200,000 educators and 3 million students nationwide in creating innovative professional services to elevate teaching and assess student progress. From 2007 to 2009, Ms. Mahaley was the President of the Atlanta Education Fund. It was launched by the city’s Mayor and business leaders to galvanize community support and raise student achievement in the Atlanta Public Schools. Ms. Mahaley also served as Chief of Staff in the Chicago Public Schools, where she executed a school reform initiative, which included closing underperforming schools and replacing them with high quality classrooms. Ms. Mahaley was a pre-algebra teacher in Oceanside, California. She has a Master of Education Degree from the University of Illinois-Chicago, an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a B.A. from Marquette University. Mahaley also was selected as a Fellow at the Broad Superintendents Academy, a unique program that trains executives to serve in urban school districts to dramatically improve education. Before I announce the next nominee, I want to point out that I will not announce a permanent schools chancellor until after a selection process that is mandated by the 2007 school reform law is completed. The Public Education Reform Act states that: "Prior to the selection of a nominee for Chancellor, the Mayor shall: Establish a review panel of teachers, including representatives of the Washington Teachers Union, parents, and students to aid the Mayor in the selection of a Chancellor; [and] TMayor shall consider the opinions and recommendations of the panel," in nominating a Chancellor. I intend to follow the mandated process. Again, I want to thank Ms. Henderson and Dr. Sessoms for being here today and for supporting my vision of birth-to-24 learning. Another top priority for my administration is getting D.C. jobs for D.C. residents. For that to happen, we must have a Department of Employment Services that focuses on reducing high unemployment as opposed to being a place known for where people file for unemployment. To that end, I am nominating Rochelle L. Webb as the DOES Director. Dr. Webb has more than 20 years of leadership experience in implementing state and federal initiatives related to employment and human services in Arizona and Texas. Since 2006, Webb has been the Administrator for the Arizona Department of Economic Security in Phoenix. She served as a deputy program administrator for two prior years. That agency provides oversight of state employment programs, including veterans services, federal workforce investment, and foreign labor certification. Dr. Webb is the President of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, a professional organization of state employment administrators. Webb has a Doctor of Management Degree from the University of Phoenix, an MPA from San Francisco State University and a B.S. from the University of North Texas. Upon confirmation, Dr. Webb will lead a dramatic transformation of the District’s Department of Employment Services to equip our residents with the tools necessary to get off the unemployment rolls and into the job market. I am nominating Gustavo F. Velasquez to be the Director of the of Human Rights, a position he has held for four years. In this capacity, Mr. Velasquez must lead enforcement of the District's Human Rights Act, which is considered one of the most expansive civil and human rights statutes in the country. Under his leadership, OHR eliminated a notorious backlog that plagued the office for many years. This is particularly significant because a record number of cases were filed last year. Velasquez formerly served as Director of the Office of Latino Affairs. Mr. Velasquez received his Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Ward 6. I am nominating Clarence Brown as the Executive Director of the Office on Aging. Dr. Brown was confirmed to this position 3 ½ years ago. He has more than 33 years of academic and professional experience in the fields of aging or Gerontology, public administration, public policy, and political science. At Howard University, he served as the Director of the Multidisciplinary Gerontology Center in the School of Social Work, and as the Director of Research and Academic Program Development for the Institute for Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Innovation in Howard’s School of Business. He also was an Adjunct Professor at the University of the District of Columbia’s Institute of Gerontology for several years. Dr. Brown earned his PhD in political science and public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MPA from Howard University, and a B.A. from North Carolina Central University where he also taught for 21 years, and was the Director of the Undergraduate and Master's Programs in Public Administration. Dr. Brown has resided in Ward 6 for almost eighteen years. I look forward to working with these five talented and experienced nominees. |
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