It’s a switcheroo.
Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Chancellor David Banks’ last chief of staff, is taking over as deputy chancellor for family engagement and external affairs — after the schools head tapped outgoing Deputy Chancellor Kenita Lloyd last week as his next right hand.
Aviles-Ramos left the Education Department a mere five months ago for a vice president gig at Monroe College. A 17-year veteran of the public schools, she had been leading their work around migrant students and left as the city implemented 60-day shelter limits for families.
Mayor Adams and Banks announced Aviles-Ramos’ appointment Monday, calling family and community engagement in the city’s public schools “a top priority for our administration.”
“With the appointment of Melissa Aviles-Ramos as deputy chancellor of family and community engagement and external affairs, we are continuing to prioritize the crucial links between home and school that help our students grow and thrive,” Adams said.
Aviles-Ramos will be tasked with heading family engagement as the public schools face a federal lawsuit over the ouster of a parent leader and heightened tensions during the Israel-Hamas war. Her position also puts her at the top of intergovernmental affairs, the Office of Language Access, the Panel for Educational Policy and the communications team.
“Our families and communities will be well-served with her as my successor in this role,” Lloyd said.
Public schools spokesmen did not immediately say if Aviles-Ramos’ return to the city will also come with a raise.
Aviles-Ramos starts as deputy chancellor next Monday. She will be the highest-ranking Latina and Spanish-speaker in Banks’ cabinet.
