Former NYC Mayoral candidate Maya Wiley to head Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Maya Wiley, who previously served as an aide to former New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio (D) before running unsuccessfully for mayor herself in 2021, is set to become the next president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

The organization announced on Tuesday that it and its sister organization, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, have selected Wiley to assume leadership of the two organizations. 

The organizations’ board chairs made the announcement after a joint board meeting to ratify the consensus recommendation of a 15-member joint board search committee, according to the announcement. 

Wiley, currently a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, is a civil rights attorney and activist. In 2014, she became the first Black woman to serve as counsel to the Mayor of New York City. 

Wiley also co-founded the Center for Social Inclusion, a nonprofit that focuses on ending racial inequity through structural reform. 

“We cannot be more thrilled to welcome Maya Wiley to her new role,” The Leadership Conference board chairwoman Judith Lichtman said in a statement. “She will bring passion, experience, and the leadership skills needed to tackle the challenges for the future.” 

Wiley expressed her gratitude to be named the new president and CEO of the two organizations. 

“The Leadership Conference and the coalition are the epicenter of the ongoing fight for civil and human rights that endures and has become more urgent, with the rise of hate, the attack on history, and the challenges of voting in our democracy. It has been at the forefront of American history and remains a fierce force fighting to define our future,” Wiley said in a statement.

“The Education Fund provides the critical analysis and information we need to change hearts and minds, and to bring about much needed change. I am humbled and hyped to lead these organizations that are committed to making the promise of a more perfect union a reality for all people,” she continued.

Wiley will officially begin her role as president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights on May 2.