Statement on Antwan Wilson's Appointment as New Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools

Nov 22, 2016 12:00:00 AM

by Peter Cunningham

Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Antwan Wilson has been named by Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel E. Bowser as the new chancellor of D.C. Public Schools. Antwan brings to D.C. a relentless focus on educational equity and a stellar track record of driving academic improvements in cities like Denver and Oakland. No one fights harder for kids or believes more deeply in their ability to achieve, and he is the right leader to continue the strong progress in the D.C. public schools.

Peter Cunningham

Peter Cunningham is the founder of Education Post and serves on its board. He served as Assistant Secretary for communications and outreach in the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama administration’s first term. Prior to that he worked with Arne Duncan when he was CEO of the Chicago Public Schools. Peter is affiliated with Whiteboard Advisors, a DC-based education policy, research and communications firm. He serves on several non-profit boards, including Oakland-based Great Schools, which provides school quality information to parents through a national online platform, The Montessori School of Englewood, a Chicago public charter school, Manufacturing Renaissance, a career education program that trains public high school students for jobs in manufacturing, Unbounded, an organization supporting teachers in schools that are transitioning to higher standards, and Foolproofme.com, which is focused on financial literacy for students. Peter founded Cunningham Communications, serving public, private and nonprofit clients, worked for political consultant David Axelrod, and was a senior advisor and speechwriter for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. A native New Yorker, Peter began his career as a journalist with small weekly newspapers in New York. He earned an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University and a B.A. in philosophy from Duke University. He is married to artist Jackie Kazarian, and they have two adult children who are proud graduates of the Chicago Public Schools. Peter joined the Education Post board in 2018 after stepping down as the organization's Executive Director.  Meet our board →

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