Maya Wiley

Senior Vice President, Social Justice
The New School

An acclaimed litigator and advocate for social change, Maya Wiley was named one of the 100 most powerful people in New York City by City and State Magazine in 2014 and 2015. In 2011, she was included in "20 Leading Black Women Social Activists Advocating Change" by TheRoot.com. Wiley is currently the Senior Vice President for Social Justice at the New School and the Henry Cohen Professor of Urban Policy and Management at the New School’s Milano School of International Affairs, Management & Urban Policy, as well as the Chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) – the independent oversight agency for the City’s Police Department.

As New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s chief legal advisor and a member of his Senior Cabinet (2014-2016), Wiley was placed at the helm of the Mayor’s commitment to expanding affordable broadband access across New York City. Prior to that, Ms. Wiley was the Founder and President of the Center for Social Inclusion. She has also worked for the Open Society Foundation in the U.S. and in South Africa, the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc., the American Civil Liberties Union and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. 

Ms. Wiley holds a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and a B.A in psychology from Dartmouth College.