Former Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education and former Deputy Mayor for Education who needed a waiver to accept the positions due to his lack of school administration training.
He was initially a counselor at a pre-kindergarten facility for about 18 months.
He earned a Bachelors and Masters degree from the University of Bridgeport and an additional Masters from Fordham University.
He has four children with his wife Denise.
He served as Deputy Mayor of New York City for Education under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.