Commissioner of Education of the State of New York


The Commissioner of Education of the State of New York is the head of the State Education Department, chosen by the Board of Regents. The Commissioner also serves as the President of the University of the State of New York office. Generally, the Regents set policy while the Commissioner has responsibility for carrying out policy.

List of Commissioners

Andrew Sloan Draper1904-1913
John Huston Finley1913-1921
Frank Pierrepont Graves1921-1940
Ernest E. Cole1940-1942
George D. Stoddard1942-1945
Francis T. Spaulding1946-1950
Lewis A. Wilson1950-1955
James Edward Allen, Jr.1955-1969
Ewald Nyquist1969-1976
Gordon M. Ambach1976-1986
Thomas Sobol1987-1995
Richard Paul Mills1995-2009
David Miller Steiner2009-2011
John King, Jr.2011-2014
MaryEllen Elia2015-2019