De’Shawn Wright has spent over 15 years serving in senior leadership roles in the public and private sector. Wright is Founder/President of Keystone Consulting LLC, a consulting firm he launched in 2015 to provide strategy, policy, management, and operations support to a diverse range of organizations and leaders in the nonprofit, government, and private sector. Previously, Wright served as the Senior Manager for Public Policy at Uber Technologies, where he oversaw public affairs, policy, and communications in the Tri-State Region. Wright was appointed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in November 2012 to serve as the Deputy Secretary for Education, the highest-ranking education post in the Executive Chamber of New York State Government. In this capacity, he was responsible for developing and implementing the Governor’s statewide education agenda, overseeing an annual budget of more than $30B and managing the administration’s collaborations with the State Department of Education, State University of NY, City University of NY and the Higher Education Services Corporation. Prior to joining the Cuomo Administration, Wright was appointed by Mayor Vincent C. Gray in December 2010 to the post of Deputy Mayor for Education in Washington, DC, where he created a citywide birthto-24 strategy that included early education, K- 12, post-secondary education and workforce development. As Deputy Mayor, Wright’s portfolio included DC Public Schools, the Office of State Superintendent for Education, the Public Charter School Board, and the University of DC/DC Community College. Wright previously served as the Chief Policy Advisor to Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker (2006-2010) and as a Policy Analyst in NYC’s Office of Operations (2002-2003) under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Wright also held several senior management positions in the NYC Department of Education during the tenure of Chancellor Joel Klein (2003-2006) and was a founding partner of the Newark Charter School Fund, launched with $20M from the Gates, Walton, Fisher, and Robertson Foundations in 2008. Wright attended James Madison University as an undergrad and earned a Master in Public Administration degree from New York University's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service in 2002.