The Newark Alliance, a leading nonprofit dedicated to the ongoing economic revitalization of Newark, has appointed De’Shawn Wright as Interim CEO.
Wright has spent more than 15 years serving in senior leadership roles in the public and private sector – including five years in Newark as the Chief Policy Advisor to former Mayor Cory A. Booker (2006-2010). He most recently served as the Senior Manager for Public Policy at Uber Technologies, where he managed public affairs, policy, and communications in the Tri-State Region.
Prior to joining Uber Technologies, Wright was Founder/President of Keystone Consulting LLC, a consulting firm he launched in 2015 to provide strategy, policy, management, and operations support to a diverse range of clientele in the nonprofit, government, and private sector.
Wright will serve as Interim CEO until a permanent leader is hired. The CEO position has been vacant since October, when Aisha Glover resigned to pursue a new role with Audible, an Amazon company.
“I am excited to join the Newark Alliance at this critical juncture in the city’s history,” Wright said. “Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the Newark Alliance played a key role in fulfilling Mayor Baraka’s vision for inclusive economic growth throughout the city. That work is now more important than ever, as we strive to bring the city’s economy back to a position of strength in a post-pandemic environment.”
In his new position, Wright will work closely with the Newark Anchor Collaborative (NAC), a critical initiative of the Newark Alliance. The NAC is an action-oriented think tank comprised of private and public sector leaders from multiple fields and industries that spearheads initiatives to promote a vibrant and inclusive Newark economy.
Wright also identified the Newark 2020 local hiring initiative as a core priority to facilitate continued economic growth in the city. Newark 2020 is a data driven jobs initiative created by Mayor Baraka with the goal of connecting 2,020 unemployed Newark residents to meaningful, full-time work within the city’s corporations and anchor institutions. Furthermore, Wright will seek to expand the Newark Live Local Program, which provides one-year incentives for eligible participants to rent or renovate homes in the city.
“De’Shawn’s experience in urban leadership and his ability to harness the power of private public partnerships will serve the Newark Alliance well,” said Lata. Reddy, Board Chair for the Newark Alliance and SVP of Inclusive Solutions at Prudential Financial. “We look forward to De’Shawn contributing his energies and expertise and making his imprint on the organization in the weeks and months ahead.”
As Wright takes office, the Newark Alliance has had a substantial increase in membership upwards of nearly 500 percent and has helped attract innovative partnerships with entities such as The Rockefeller Foundation, Bloomberg Associates and Prudential Financial, which has contributed $3.7mm to the Alliance since 2002.
“The Newark Alliance has played a critical role in the city’s resurgence as a highly desired place to work, live and invest,” Wright said. “We look forward to achieving great things in the months ahead, working collectively and collaboratively to support Newark’s continued.
After departing Newark in 2010, Wright was appointed by Mayor Vincent C. Gray in December 2010 to the post of Deputy Mayor for Education in Washington, D.C., where he created a citywide strategy to support youth development at every stage, from early education and K-12 to post-secondary education and workforce development.
Wright was later appointed by New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in November 2012 to serve as the Deputy Secretary for Education, the highest-ranking education post in the Executive Chamber of New York State Government.
Wright attended James Madison University as an undergrad and earned a Master’s in Public Administration degree from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service in 2002.
