ALBANY, N.Y. Jan. 11, 2021 — New York State United Teachers today congratulated Dr. Lester W. Young Jr. on being elected chancellor of the state Board of Regents, becoming the first African American chancellor in the board’s history:
“We congratulate Chancellor Young on his election and look forward to working with him as he leads the board during the ongoing challenges our education system faces during this pandemic,” NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said. “In particular, we share his vision for fighting for educational equity and believe that we can play a critical role in the work the board will continue to do on this issue.”
“We believe Chancellor Young is the right choice to lead the board as educators continue to navigate the challenges our schools face related not only to the pandemic, but also to inequity in our public education system,” NYSUT Executive Vice President Jolene T. DiBrango said. “He has been a fastidious leader and champion of the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, and we look forward to working with him to address opportunity gaps that exist across the state.”
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.