Former State Sen. Craig Johnson Tapped to Head DFER-New York
Craig Johnson, a longtime champion of bold education reforms as a Democratic member of the New York State Senate, has been tapped to lead Democrats for Education Reform’s flagship New York chapter, the organization announced today.
Johnson, a managing director at McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP, will serve as chairman of DFER-New York’s advisory board.
“I can’t think of anyone more qualified and capable of helping steer our New York chapter as it works to build bridges with elected officials and candidates for office,” said Joe Williams, DFER’s national director. “As a state senator, he was a poster child for the kind of pragmatic Democratic leaders we support nationwide and he is well suited to assist us in the ongoing work to win hearts and minds for productive change in K-12 public education.”
Johnson, a product of public education and a public school dad, is expected to help guide the organization through important upcoming municipal and state elections. Democrats for Education Reform is a political action committee working to change the Democratic Party from within – empowering candidates for office who understand the need to significantly improve modern public education.
“As a parent, as a taxpayer, and as someone who has always been driven to social justice issues, creating and supporting highly-functioning public schools has always been something that I considered to be one of the most important Democratic principles,” Johnson said. “This has always been about standing up for the little guy – the kids who don’t have the kind of opportunities many of us have had to succeed.”
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