SUNY Appoints Dr. John B. King Jr. 15th Chancellor

Dec. 5 unanimously approved his appointment. He replaced Deborah F. Stanley, former president of SUNY Oswego, who served as interim chancellor from January 2022 to January 2023. Chancellor King began his new role in January.

The State University of New York Board of Trustees announced Dec. 5 the appointment of John B. King Jr. as the 15th chancellor of SUNY, the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States.

Chancellor King brings to this position decades of experience as a leader in education administration and policy at the local, state and national levels. He has championed expanding access to high-quality, affordable education in recognition of the transformative power it holds for students from all walks of life.

Chancellor King’s selection was the result of a year-long global search, and the board

“I am humbled and honored to accept the position of chancellor and to advance Governor Kathy Hochul’s vision to make SUNY the best statewide system of public higher education in our nation,” Chancellor King said. “Public education quite literally saved my life when I lost both of my parents at a young age, and I have dedicated my professional career ever since to ensuring that every student has access to the academic opportunities that they need and deserve. I look forward to working with all members of our campus communities, lawmakers and stakeholders to bring SUNY to new heights and maximize its potential.”

Most recently, Chancellor King was the president of the Education Trust, a nonprofit organization that promotes high academic achievement for all students in early childhood, K-12 education and higher education. Prior to his appointment to that post in 2017, Chancellor King served as U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama, who called him “an exceptionally talented educator.”

While serving in this cabinet-level post, Chancellor King worked to simplify the financial aid process, oversaw federal investments in evidence-based strategies to increase college completion and advocated for the president’s America’s College Promise proposal, which called for creating a federal-state partnership to make attendance at community colleges free and also investing in scaled wraparound services to support students on the path to academic success.

From 2011 to the beginning of 2015 when he joined the Obama Administration, Chancellor King served as New York State’s first African American and first Puerto Rican education commissioner. He worked in this position to leverage federal Perkins funding to invest in a statewide initiative connecting K-12 schools, higher education institutions and employers to tailor high school curriculum to meet the needs of a modern-day workforce—an effort he has expressed to the board that he hopes to continue and expand on as chancellor.

Learn more about Chancellor John B. King Jr. at magazine. oswego.edu.