Bill de Blasio, the former mayor of New York City, will join New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service as the 2023 Marnold Visiting Fellow. Arriving in January, he will give formal talks, engage directly with students, faculty, and alumni, and teach a graduate course in the spring.
De Blasio’s experiences in public service are notable and extensive. They began when he was Volunteer Coordinator for the mayoral campaign of David Dinkins in 1989. He went on to work as Assistant Director of Community Affairs at City Hall for the Dinkins administration. Subsequently, he was appointed as a regional director in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He left the post after two years, hired to manage Hillary Clinton’s winning race in New York for the U.S. Senate in 2000.
De Blasio served as a community school board member in Brooklyn before winning an election to serve on the New York City Council, representing parts of his hometown borough, and he held the seat for eight years. In 2009, he was elected as the New York City Public Advocate. He overcame daunting odds to win the election for mayor in 2013 and served two terms through 2021.
He is currently Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics (Fall, 2022). He received his undergraduate degree from New York University in 1984 and obtained an MA in international and public affairs at Columbia University in 1987.
While holding office at City Hall, de Blasio fought for progressive goals, such as greater income parity for working-class New Yorkers, providing a voice for historically neglected communities of color. One of his signature initiatives was Universal Prekindergarten, implemented citywide in his first term as mayor. During his second term, he steered the city through the COVID pandemic.
Sherry Glied, dean of NYU Wagner, announced the yearlong appointment today (Oct. 17), and said: “Bill de Blasio’s presence offers students, faculty, and graduates an incomparable opportunity to learn from someone with enormous experiences and many hard-won successes in the political arena and in policymaking and management. I am extremely pleased to welcome him as Marnold Visiting Fellow at NYU Wagner for the upcoming year.”
De Blasio commented, “When I graduated from NYU in the 1980’s, I never dreamed of a path that would lead me to City Hall and then back to my alma mater. Now I get to help others develop their dreams. I’m truly excited to work with the next leaders of NYC, and the nation, who are getting a top-of-the-line preparation for public service at the Wagner School. My job is to encourage and support this extraordinary group of students.”
About the Marnold Fellowship:
The Marnold Fellowship is generously supported by the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Fund for Education and Health Research in memory of Arnold Schwartz, who was active in health administration and served several Mayors of the City of New York as a member of public-administration committees.
About NYU Wagner:
New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service is a public policy school that offers a comprehensive curriculum in public and nonprofit policy and management, health policy and management, international development, and urban planning. Visit us today.
