Mamdani appoints Jamaica-born veteran educator Kamar Samuels to lead NYC’s public school system

Jamaica-born, New York-based veteran educator Kamar Samuels has been appointed Chancellor of New York Public Schools by Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, placing him at the helm of the largest public school system in the United States.

Samuels, currently a Manhattan school superintendent, will oversee a system serving more than one million students and managing a budget in excess of US$40 billion.

He has more than 20 years of experience in New York City’s public education system, spanning classroom teaching, school leadership, and district-level administration, with a strong focus on data-driven decision-making and improving outcomes in urban schools.

Samuels attended Jamaica College in St Andrew before migrating to the United States, where he earned an accounting degree from Baruch College, City University of New York.

He later completed a Master of Science in Education in childhood education at Lehman College, CUNY.

Before entering public education full-time, Samuels worked as a finance manager with the National Basketball Association (NBA), an experience that strengthened his capacity for large-scale organisational and fiscal management.

He entered education through the NYC Teaching Fellows programme, teaching at the elementary level for five years before moving into school operations.

Samuels later served as a business manager and data specialist at the Gun Hill Road School and went on to become principal of the Bronx Writing Academy through the New Leaders for New Schools residency programme.

Beyond his professional work in the United States, Samuels has remained connected to Jamaica through the diaspora.

He served as education chair and later president of Jamaica Impact, a diaspora-led organisation that supported basic schools and education initiatives on the island.

His appointment has been welcomed within Jamaican and Caribbean diaspora circles as a significant achievement for Jamaica-born leadership in global public education.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.