De’Shawn Wright

De’Shawn Wright

Director

Location: NYC Region

Email: deshawn@polihire.com

De’Shawn has spent over 15 years serving in senior leadership roles in the public and private sectors. Before joining POLIHIRE, he served as the Senior Manager for Public Policy at Uber Technologies. Before Uber, he was appointed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to serve as the Deputy Secretary for Education, the highest-ranking education post in the Executive Chamber of New York State Government. In this capacity, he was responsible for developing and implementing the Governor’s statewide education agenda, overseeing an annual budget of more than $20 Billion and managing the Administration’s collaborations with the State Department of Education, State University of NY, City University of NY and the Higher Education Services Corporation.

Before joining the Cuomo Administration, Wright was appointed to the post of Deputy Mayor for Education in Washington, DC where he created a citywide birth to 24 strategy that includes early education, K-12, post-secondary education. Before those roles, De’Shawn also served as Chief Policy Advisor to then-Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark, New Jersey, and as Policy Analyst for former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. De’Shawn is a graduate of James Madison University and later earned a Master in Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Policy.

Meet the Team

The POLIHIRE team is a group of talented and dedicated professionals who are committed to excellence, accountability, and diversity. With their expertise and passion for identifying top leadership in public-serving agencies and organizations, they have achieved unparalleled success.

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Kenyatta Uzzell

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

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Nana Perry

Managing Director

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James Banks

Senior Director and General Counsel

De’Shawn Wright

Brenda Donald

Senior Client Partner

De’Shawn Wright

De’Shawn Wright

Senior Director & Advisor

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Melanie Bell

Senior Director

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Dr. Kamala Uzzell Jones

Director of Search Assessment

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Angie Viar

Director

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Marcia Thompson

Senior Advisor

Palencia Mobley

Senior Director

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Monique Stevens

Senior Consultant

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KJ Ward

Director

Sharon Banks

Executive Coach

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Leanne Okabayashi

Recruitment and Operations Manager

Advisory Board

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Gen. Kip Ward (R)

Advisory Board Member

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Stephanie D. Nellons-Paige

Advisory Board Member

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Freddie Fuller

Advisory Board Member

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Cindy Kupski

Advisory Board Member

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Dr. Marc A. Love

Advisory Board Member

TESTIMONIALS

What Our Clients Have to Say

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Finding eminently-qualified leaders who defy the stereotypes of industries not known for their diversity can be a tall order. PoliHire proves time and time again that a slate of candidates for executive positions can be both highly-qualified and diverse!

5
Kishia Powell
CEO at WSSC Water
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PoliHire provided exceptional service from start to finish as our recruitment partner for a senior leadership role at DPA. Before initiating the search process, they were committed to understanding our organizational needs and priorities to help us identify ideal candidates.

5
Mashea Ashton
CEO and Founder at Digital Pioneers Academy
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I’ve had the opportunity to work with POLIHIRE several times on a variety of recruitment processes.  I would highly recommend POLIHIRE as it is a premiere executive recruiting firm and always yields fantastic results.”

5
Carla D. Thompson Payton
Vice President, Program Strategy
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
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Kenyatta Uzzell and POLIHIRE have become a trusted partner that I’ve used in multiple communities ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 residents, successfully leading searches for Fire Chief, Police Chief, and Labor Commissioner. POLIHIRE came equipped with a deep understanding of the intricacies of identifying leadership for local government. I highly recommend them to any public agency or organization.

5
Odie Donald II
Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Atlanta