John Deasy

Dr. John E. Deasy is a Partner at Cambiar Education, a K-12 venture design studio that turns innovative ideas into action and impact so every student can thrive. John is the recently retired President of the Bezos Family Foundation. Prior to this, he was superintendent of Stockton Unified School District where he oversaw a massive upgrade of new curriculum, technology for all youth, counselors and mental health clinicians in all schools, championed homeless issues, and saw strong improvement in all youth indicators of success.

John led dramatic improvements in each district he served as superintendent. As superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, he championed a “youth first” agenda credited with reversing the district’s school-to-prison pipeline, raised achievement and helped more students graduate ready for college and the workplace than at any time in the District’s history. John also served as superintendent in Prince George’s County Public Schools, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, and Coventry Public Schools.

He was Board Chair and former CEO of Reset: New Day, New Year, an alternative prison for young men, and founding Editor-In-Chief of The Line, a magazine dedicated to civil discourse. John is Superintendent In Residence for the Broad Center, maintains a consulting practice, and serves on the boards of College Summit, UnboundED, and TeacherCraft. He is an Aspen Fellow and a senior moderator for the Institute.