Joel Klein

Joel Klein is Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, where he oversees a system of 1,450 schools and 136,000 employees with a $15 billion budget.  In 2002, he launched Children First, a comprehensive reform strategy that has significantly increased student performance.  Formerly chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann, Inc, a media company, Klein has served as Assistant U.S. Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division.  He also was Deputy White House Counsel to President Clinton from 1993-1995.  He attended New York City’s public schools, received his BA from Columbia University and earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School.