Loading AI tools
Deputy Mayor of New York City From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sheena Wright (born January 6, 1970) is an American nonprofit executive and civil servant. She was[4] the First Deputy Mayor of New York City and formerly the president of the United Way of New York City. In August 2021, she was chosen as the chair of New York City mayor-elect Eric Adams's transition team. Wright was named deputy mayor for Strategic Initiatives by Adams on December 6, 2022 and began in January 2023.[5][6][7][8] She resigned in the midst of the investigations into the Eric Adams administration.
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (December 2023) |
Sheena Wright | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| First Deputy Mayor of New York City | |
| In office January 1, 2023 – October 8, 2024 | |
| Mayor | Eric Adams |
| Preceded by | Lorraine Grillo |
| Succeeded by | Anne Williams-Isom (acting)[1][2][3] Maria Torres-Springer |
| Deputy Mayor of New York City for Strategic Initiatives | |
| In office January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022 | |
| Mayor | Eric Adams |
| Succeeded by | Ana Almanzar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 6, 1970 |
| Spouse | David Banks |
| Relatives | Tanya Wright (sister) Philip Banks III (brother-in-law) Terence Banks (brother-in-law) |
| Education | Columbia University (BA, JD) |
Wright is a native of The Bronx, and daughter of Debra Fraser-Howze, an AIDS activist who founded the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS.[9][10] She also founded Choose Healthy Life, a network of churches providing coronavirus testing and administering vaccines.[11] Her sister, Tanya Wright, is an actress.[12]
She was educated at the George School in Pennsylvania.[13] She then enrolled at Columbia University and was a member of the school's varsity track and field team.[14] She graduated from Columbia College in 1990 and Columbia Law School in 1994.
After graduation from law school, Wright worked as a lawyer for Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, in private equity firms and served as general counsel for Crave Technologies, a minority-owned software startup.[15]
Wright served as president and executive director of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, the economic arm of the influential Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.[16][17] On April 1, 2013, Wright was subpoenaed to speak with federal prosecutors about her tenure at Abyssinian because of the sale of a townhouse intended for buyers making less than $130,000 to Todd Hunter, son of NBA union executive Billy Hunter, through an Abyssinian subsidiary while Wright was leading the organization.[7] Wright's tenure as CEO and President at Abyssinian has been described in an unflattering light by former employees who note over $500,000 spent on team-building, leadership events and conferences that these employees describe as "junkets or vacations for favored senior staff" to Martha's Vineyard, the Bahamas, and Jamaica.[7]
In 2012, she became the first female head of the United Way of New York City in the organization's 79-year history.[18] As president and CEO of United Way, she has been involved in Hurricane Sandy and COVID-19 relief work.[19] She also led the ReadNYC initiative to support child literacy.[20][21]
In August 2021, she was named by Eric Adams to lead the mayoral candidate's transition team.[5]
She was[22] the First Deputy Mayor of New York City. She resigned in the midst of the investigations into the Eric Adams administration.
On January 5, 2013, Gregg Walker, Wright's former husband and then an executive at Sony, called Harlem's 30th Precinct to report that Wright had assaulted him. Both Wright and Walker were arrested, though Wright's charges were dropped the same night while Walker's were not dropped for several weeks.[7][8] It was reported that Wright's family members contacted influential New Yorkers while she was detained, including Reverend Calvin O. Butts, who subsequently contacted Phillip Banks III, NYPD Chief (who later resigned while under investigation) and his brother, Wright's current partner, David C. Banks, all of whom currently serve in the Adams administration.[7][23][24][25][8] Walker’s mother alleges that Wright slapped her in the face, scratched her arm, and pushed her.[7] Phillip Banks III admitted to contacting the 30th Precinct about Wright's arrest after being contacted by his brother, Wright's then-paramour David C. Banks.[8]
She is formerly a trustee of her alma mater, a position she was elected to in March 2021.[26][27]
Wright's current partner, David C. Banks, serves as New York City Schools Chancellor in the Adams administration.[23][24][25] Banks and Wright married in September 2024.[28]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
