John King

John B. King Jr. is the president of The Education Trust and co-chair of K12 Climate Action with the Aspen Institute. King served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education, and before becoming education secretary, he carried out the duties of the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education. King joined the department following his tenure as the first African American and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State Education Commissioner. King began his career in education as a high school social studies teacher in Puerto Rico and Boston, Mass., and as a middle school principal. King holds a Bachelor of Arts in government from Harvard University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, as well as a Master of Arts in the teaching of social studies and a doctorate in education from Teachers College at Columbia University.