“You couldn’t tell me I was not going to be Don Draper,” confided De’Shawn Wright, the District’s acting deputy mayor for education, referring to the protagonist of the popular television series “Mad Men.” The redirection of his ad man dream was triggered by interaction with a group of 11- to 17-year-old boys from New York’s Lower East Side. Responding to a co-worker’s request for volunteers, Wright agreed to help organize recreational activities for the boys. “These were New York kids. They were incredibly smart and incredibly street savvy. I was in awe of them,” he explained,
One day, the group was “flat.” He was baffled. “One of them said ‘Mr. Wright, it’s report card day.’ ” “I was absolutely floored by their grades,” continued Wright. “I made a deal to stay and work with them.” Instead of one day a week, he committed to two days. “I told them Tuesday you do things my way; Thursday I’ll do things your way.
“I worked with those kids for a year. I actually found I had a knack for teaching,” added the Virginia native, who speaks fast and often uses direct language.
Eventually, Wright quit his job at a New York ad agency. He applied to Teach for America. His acceptance letter came on his 21st birthday.
“I never looked back,” said the 36 year-old.
After four years in the classroom, Wright switched to the policy and politics side, working first with New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg and later Newark’s Corey Booker. He came to the District in January. Last week, the council held his confirmation hearing.
I remain a huge fan of the last person who held the job of deputy mayor for education. Victor Reinoso took a beating from then-D.C.Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray, who used Reinoso as a surrogate in his fight with Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. Following Gray’s lead, the legislature stripped the deputy mayor’s office of critical funding and staff.
Gray is now mayor; there aren’t any council tensions yet over education reform. But resources haven’t been fully restored. Still, Wright is optimistic.
He has started an initiative to tackle the city’s high truancy rate; has met with representatives in the public education community, laying a solid foundation for Gray’s proposed birth-to-24 education continuum; and has begun building stronger private partnerships to expand local opportunities for special needs children.
“Most people don’t think of me when they think of education in D.C. I’m OK with that,” Wright said, adding that in New York and New Jersey he spent all of his time yelling at the state. But in the District, state and local functions are combined.
“There’s no conflict,” continued Wright. “We have only one client: kids of the District of Columbia.”
It’s too soon to evaluate how the former ad man is serving his client. But his past seems to suggest Wright likely will do quite well.
Jonetta Rose Barras can be reached at [email protected].
Jonetta Rose Barras’s column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
