Commissioner Rosa Appoints Director of Public Information as Part of Department’s Shift to Service-Oriented Approach

State Education Department Commissioner Betty A. Rosa today announced the appointment of Keshia Clukey to serve as Director of Public Information. In her new role, Ms. Clukey will help the Department support students, educators, administrators, schools, and other stakeholders through its strategic initiatives. Keshia will lead the Department’s work to be transparent, highlight effective educational practices across the state, and further its guiding principle of a service-oriented approach with news and media outlets to promote safe, nurturing, and engaging learning environments for all students.

“Keshia brings an unparalleled level of education and public relations expertise, a commitment to transparency, and a strong sense of optimism to this work. Building upon these skills, she will complement the Department's work to boldly reimagine and transform our educational system to meet the diverse needs of students across New York through proactive communication, highlighting and uplifting the voices of students, parents, and communities that are too rarely heard,” Commissioner Rosa said. 

As the Director of Public Information, Ms. Clukey will oversee a team of professionals that are the Department’s point of contact with news and media outlets, manage social media campaigns and the website, proactively highlight and uplift exemplary educational practices across New York, and are charged with expanding and disseminating internal communication initiatives.

Ms. Clukey is an award-winning journalist with extensive experience in local and national education and state government reporting. She currently serves as a correspondent for Bloomberg Government and has previously covered education issues for Newsday, Politico, the Albany Times Union, and the Utica Observer-Dispatch. She has also previously served as an Adjunct Faculty member at Plattsburgh State University of New York.

Ms. Clukey holds a Master of Science in Investigative Journalism from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow Scotland and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Utica College. She will assume her new role on April 20.