Josh Thompson is running to serve as the next Mayor of New York City. He has spent his life as an educator, advocate, and public servant. Growing up, Josh’s mother worked three jobs and there were times Josh’s family went without water, electricity, and even food. At the age of 15, he was brought into a Catholic School in Newark, NJ, where he was given a home, a community, and an education.

While in school, Josh began his professional career with the Jackie Robinson Foundation in New York. After college, then-Mayor Cory Booker asked Josh to come back to Newark; Josh returned and worked with the community to reimagine the possibilities for Newarkers and their education system. Josh then served in Washington, DC, where he expanded high quality school choice for every child in the city. In 2012, Josh was appointed as Director of

Education in Bridgeport, CT. He arrived to a $13 million education budget deficit and a dropout rate of nearly 50%. Josh eliminated the deficit without letting go of a single teacher or closing a single school. In fact, he opened nine schools and significantly cut the dropout rate in half.

Josh most recently served as the Executive Director of New Leaders New York, an organization that serves half a million children across the country through the development of transformational school leaders and policies.