After the bitter presidential election of 2016, then-U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. says he found himself in search of a position where he could help young students who face difficult circumstances like he did growing up as an orphaned child in Brooklyn.
“For me the goal was, ‘Where can I find a place where I can continue to work to expand educational opportunity for kids like me, kids for whom school is the difference in their lives,’” King told Diverse in a recent interview in his Washington office.
King found such a place at the Education Trust, a District of Columbia-based nonprofit begun in the 1990s to tackle issues of educational disparity for students from low-income families and students of color. The organization hired him as its second president earlier this year.
“It’s just a perfect match between the mission of the organization and the things I care about,” King said. “I also feel like this is a moment when we need strong voices on behalf of equity in our society.”
“We certainly have strong voices that I think are trying to undermine equity in our society,” he added, in reference to recent efforts by the Trump administration to reduce federal financial aid for college students, among other things.
“I want to be part of a movement to insist that we have equality of opportunity,” King said.
Kati Haycock, the founder and former longtime president of the Education Trust, said she is “totally pleased” with the decision of the Education Trust board to hire King as its second president.
