Deputy Secretary of Education
On January 29, 2007, Governor Eliot Spitzer announced the appointment of Manuel Rivera, Ph.D. as Deputy Secretary for Education. In this newly created position, Mr. Rivera will act as the administration’s senior education policy advisor. Based in Albany, he will oversee the implementation of Governor Spitzer’s education reform policy, which will couple increased funding with necessary accountability and a more transparent school aid formula. He will also be responsible for implementing sweeping reforms designed to improve accountability. The appointment is the successful result of a nationwide search. Most recently, Mr. Rivera served as Superintendent of Schools in Rochester.
Mr. Rivera began his career as a school teacher in the Rochester City School District in 1975 and later served as a school and district administrator. In 1991, he was first named Rochester Superintendent of Schools, a position he held until 1994. After serving on the management team of Edison Schools, Inc., Mr. Rivera returned to Rochester in 2002 to serve as Interim Superintendent. He was again appointed to the position of Superintendent in April of 2003. As Superintendent he leads an urban school system serving more than 34,000 students in pre-K through Grade 12 and 11,000 adult students. He is responsible for a budget of $459 million and a support staff of more than 5,000 employees.
Mr. Rivera earned both his Doctorate in education in Administration, Planning & Social Policy and his Master’s degree in education from Harvard University. He also holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Urban Studies from Brandeis University.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rochester, Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection, Rochester Education Foundation, and Rochester Area Health Foundation, and has also served on the boards of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, Roberts Wesleyan College, the Spanish Action Coalition of Rochester, and Junior Achievement of Rochester.
In February 2006, Mr. Rivera was named National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators. This followed his being named New York School Superintendent of the Year in December of 2005 by the New York State Council of School Superintendents.