Meet the Chancellor and Deputy Chancellors who lead the New York City Department of Education
David C. Banks, Chancellor
David C. Banks is Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, the largest school system in the nation. Appointed by Mayor Eric Adams on January 1, 2022, Chancellor Banks is reimagining the school experience to build bright starts and bold futures for all New York City children. He is the former President and CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation and the founding principal of The Eagle Academy for Young Men, the first in a network of innovative all-boys public schools in New York City and Newark, N.J. After a year working as a school safety officer, Chancellor Banks began his first teaching job at P.S. 167. He served as an assistant principal at P.S. 191 before becoming a founding principal at the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice and later at Eagle Academy. Chancellor Banks is a nationally recognized author and thought leader, known throughout his career as a defining voice on empowering young men of color. He earned his Juris Doctorate from St. John’s University School of Law and holds honorary degrees from Wheelock College, St. Francis College, and Bard College. He is also a native New Yorker and a proud graduate of New York City Public Schools.
Daniel Weisberg,First Deputy Chancellor
As First Deputy Chancellor, Dan Weisberg is focused on ensuring that the Department’s strategies advance Chancellor Banks’ vision and priorities, The First Deputy Chancellor’s office manages a portfolio that includes Postsecondary Readiness, Human Resources, Policy, and Enrollment.
For over a decade Dan helped lead TNTP, one of the premier education non-profit organizations in the country, serving as its Chief Executive Officer for the past seven years. The organization supports approximately 300 school systems across the country on talent, academics, community engagement and policy, reaching over 12 million students a year.
Prior to joining TNTP, Weisberg served as Chief Executive of Labor Policy and Implementation for the NYC Department of Education under Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein. In this role he was responsible for leading the DOE’s relationships with its union partners, including negotiating groundbreaking collective bargaining agreements covering teachers and principals. Additionally, Dan played a key role in establishing a rigorous tenure system for teachers, incentive pay for principals aligned to student outcomes, and creating after-school intervention and enrichment time for underserved students.
Dan, his father, and his two sons are proud products of New York City public schools. Weisberg has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College and is a graduate of New York University Law School.
Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Deputy Chancellor of Family and Community Engagement and External Affairs
As deputy chancellor of Family and Community Engagement and External Affairs, Ms. Aviles-Ramos’ portfolio includes FACE, intergovernmental affairs, the Office of Language Access, Panel for Educational Policy, and communication teams.
Ms. Aviles-Ramos brings a wealth of experience fostering community engagement and supporting families to her new role, having joined New York City Public Schools in 2007 as an English teacher, assistant principal, education administrator, principal, deputy superintendent, and acting superintendent. She has been a pivotal figure in developing 'Project Open Arms,’ New York City Public Schools’ response to the influx of migrant families seeking asylum. Her efforts have included creating advisory councils, launching community-based projects, and spearheading initiatives that address critical issues affecting students and their families. Ms. Aviles-Ramos will be the highest-ranking Latina and Spanish-speaking leader in New York City Public Schools.
Simone C. Hawkins, Deputy Chancellor of Early Childhood Education
As Deputy Chancellor of the Division of Early Childhood Education, Simone C. Hawkins oversees birth to 5education, including 3K and Pre-K, and the implementation of NYC Reads in early childhood classrooms.
Simone previously worked under this administration as the Chief Executive of Early Childhood Operations, and is rejoiningNewYork City Public Schools from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene where she most recently served as Chief Equity Officer and Deputy Commissioner for the Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness. Simone has also held roles as the Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Child Care in the Division of Environmental Health at DOHMH, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer at Covenant House, Deputy Director of Budget and Operations at The Children’s Aid Society, and as a Senior Budget Analyst for the New York City Office of Management and Budget, where she managed over six billion dollars for the education task force.
Danika Rux, Ed.D, Deputy Chancellor of School Leadership
As Deputy Chancellor of School Leadership, Dr. Danika Rux oversees the work of Community District Superintendents and High School Superintendents, which in turn provide schools with coordinated strategic support, resources, and guidance. She also oversees the Department’s student wellness and school climate work.
Danika Rux is an instructional leader with over 27 years of experience in the areas of speech pathology, literacy instruction, special education, school leadership, district leadership, and systems level educational administration. Most recently, Danika served as Chief of School Support. Prior, Danika served as Executive Superintendent, Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, Field Support Liaison and Principal.
Danika holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Sage College, Albany, NY. She earned her M.S. Ed. and B.S. from Long Island University and Advanced Certificates from Baruch College, Mercer University, Georgia State University.
Christina Foti, Deputy Chancellor of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning (DIAL)
As the Deputy Chancellor of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning (DIAL), Christina Foti serves to ensure the needs of historically marginalized students are centered throughout the department. In this capacity, she oversees both the Special Education Office and the Office of Multilingual Learners within a unified division.
In her previous role as Chief of Special Education for NYCPS, Christina led initiatives impacting over 200,000 students, managing citywide special education services and implementing specialized programs for students with diverse needs, including those with autism, dyslexia, intellectual disabilities, and students who benefit from bilingual special education.
Before her tenure as Chief of Special Education, Christina held various roles, including Deputy Chief Academic Officer, Chief Executive Director of the Special Education Office, principal, assistant principal, literacy coach, and middle school teacher.
Christina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Vassar College, a Master’s degree in Special Education from the City University of New York, and a Postgraduate degree in Educational Leadership from Hunter College. She is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at Columbia University’s Teachers College.
Kenita Lloyd, Chief of Staff
As former Deputy Chancellor of Family and Community Engagement and External Affairs, Kenita Lloyd oversaw the Chancellor’s priority of authentically engaging families, as well as the Department’s external affairs work.
During her time as deputy chancellor of FACE+EA, Ms. Lloyd led several successful initiatives aimed at changing the narrative for NYCPS and engaging families and communities as authentic partners in our schools. She initiated the rebrand of the ‘Department of Education’ to ‘New York City Public Schools,” created NYCPS’ first interfaith advisory council, and ushered in an expanded Panel for Educational Policy with a revised set of bylaws and a code of conduct. Under her leadership, NYCPS launched its first regular ‘State of Our Schools’ and monthly cultural events to celebrate the diversity of our public schools.
Previously, Kenita servedas Chief Operations Officer at The Eagle Academy Foundation, where she was instrumental in the foundation’s growth and ability to support the Eagle Academy for Young Men schools, overseeing the foundation’s budget, day-to-day operations and marketing, and communications and development efforts.Prior to joining The Eagle Academy Foundation, Lloyd was appointed Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs in the Office of New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.Kenita has also held leadership roles at the Museum for African Art, the National Action Network, and the New York City Mission Society (Minisink Townhouse).
Additional Senior Leaders
Karine Apollon, Chief Diversity Officer
Karine Apollon is the New York City Department of Education’s Chief Diversity Officer. In this role, she leads the DOE’s MWBE strategies to greatly expand economic opportunities for women- and minority-owned businesses and our diversity, equity and inclusion strategies in hiring practices. Previously, Karine served as Chief Executive Officer of the educational nonprofit Reading Partners. Prior to this, Karine worked for over two decades in a variety of leadership roles at the children’s publisher Scholastic, where she scaled literacy and mentorship initiatives and launched Scholastic’s family and community engagement work, with a focus on supporting and empowering marginalized communities.
Jade Grieve, Chief of Student Pathways
Jade Grieve is the Chief of Student Pathways, overseeing all postsecondary readiness and work-based learning initiatives. Jade previously worked at Bloomberg Philanthropies and America Achieves in a variety of leadership roles related to postsecondary pathways, most recently as leader of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Career and Technical Education Portfolio. She has also worked extensively in federal and state agencies of the Australian government, including as senior education advisor to the Prime Minister and Education Minister of Australia.
Flavia Puello-Perdomo, Chief of Schools for Community Supports and Wellness
Flavia Puello-Perdomo is the Chief of Schools within the Office of Community Supports and Wellness. In this role, she oversees the district wide strategy for advancing student wellness, the nationally recognized Community Schools model, and related programming for supporting the needs of the whole child and developing social-emotional learning competencies. Flavia has over 20 years of experience in education, including serving as an educator, school leader, deputy superintendent, and senior level central administrator. She has dedicated her career to supporting vulnerable student populations, developing collaborative partnerships with families and communities, and mentoring educational leaders at both the school and district level. She brings a wealth of leadership experience to this role, including her ability to work across siloed workstreams, her commitment to modeling sound and ethical leadership practices, and her uncompromising approach to centering the needs of students as well as maintaining standards of excellence.
Liz Vladeck, General Counsel
Liz Vladeck is the General Counsel, representing and advising the DOE on all legal matters, including general practice issues, labor and employment matters, equal opportunity, employee discipline, special education, administrative/state/federal law and compliance, and commercial transactions. Prior to joining the DOE in 2021, Liz served as Senior Labor Policy Advisor in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Policy & Planning and as a Deputy Commissioner and founding Director of the Office of Labor Policy and Standards in the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.
