Edwin M. Quezada, EdD
Dr. Edwin M. Quezada has nearly 35 years of experience working in education, serving in elementary, middle, and high schools as a teacher, school counselor, development professional, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent, and, since March of 2016, superintendent of Yonkers Public Schools, an urban district of more than 3,600 staff and serving nearly 26,000 students across more than 40 schools. Quezada has a proven track record of developing educational leaders—planning and delivering professional development and experiences that bolster the leadership competencies required to create a school culture in which the needs of all learners are met—and implementing systems of support to create a district-wide educational culture focused on accountability, achievement, sustainability, and educational opportunities for all.
Under Quezada’s superintendence, the Yonkers Public School District became the highest performing of all Big Five districts in New York. For the past seven years, Yonkers held the highest graduation rates of the Big Five districts, achieving a 90% graduation rate for all students over the past three years and raising the on-time graduation rate for all diverse learners, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners. He also worked collaboratively with all stakeholders to lower the high school dropout rate by 61 percentage points since 2015.
Quezada is driven by the philosophy that all children can achieve at high levels when given quality instruction, a supportive learning community, and when learning with caring adults who value academic success. He is now dedicated to preparing and developing school and system leaders in order to create such an environment.
Quezada served as co-chair of the Yonkers My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, an initiative designed to address enduring opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color, launched by the Obama Foundation with a goal of ensuring that all young people can reach their full potential. In 2023, the Obama Foundation named Yonkers Public Schools one of four My Brother’s Keeper Model Communities, an acknowledgment of the positive impact on graduation rates for young men of color seen under Quezada’s leadership.
Additional accolades acknowledging Quezada’s work in community service and educational leadership include an Excellence in Educational Leadership Award from the University Council for Educational Administration; a Yonkers Commission on Human Rights 2018 Community Service Award; and a 2020 Leadership and Excellence in Education Award from the Association of Dominican-American Supervisors and Administrators.
Over the past five years, Quezada also worked in support of Yonkers Urban Leadership Academy (YULA), developed in collaboration with the Wallace Foundation, the New York City Leadership Academy, and Bank Street College of Education and focused on preparing those in the pipeline to serve as assistant principals in urban schools. He is also President-electS of the New York State Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents.
Quezada earned a Bachelor of Arts in accounting and a Master of Science in school counseling from Herbert H. Lehmann College, a Master of Science in school supervision and administration from Fordham University, and a Doctor of Education in school leadership for teaching and learning from Walden University.