Johanna Duncan-Poitier

Johanna Duncan-Poitier is the senior vice chancellor for community colleges and the education pipeline at the State University of New York (SUNY). She provides system oversight and coordination for SUNY’s 30 community colleges, which have an annual operating budget of $2.1 billion and educate hundreds of thousands of students each year. Duncan-Poitier also provides leadership to strengthen STEM education and teacher preparation. Additionally, she works to facilitate connections between SUNY’s 64 campuses and New York State’s pre-K–12 schools and business leaders in order to improve college readiness and completion rates and prepare a highly qualified workforce.

Duncan-Poitier has led the development of major statewide initiatives, including the SUNY Empire State STEM Learning Network and the State Workforce Development Consortium. She spearheaded the scale-up of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Math Pathways and the designation of New York as a Jobs for the Future Student Success Center. She also helped launch guided pathways, Strong Start to Finish, the Smart Scholars Early College High Schools, and the P-TECH programs.

Duncan-Poitier previously served as the senior deputy commissioner of education P–16 for the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and was responsible for regulatory oversight of 700 school districts and all NYS colleges and universities, as well as the preparation and licensure of teachers and licensed professionals. Before joining NYSED, Duncan-Poitier held leadership positions at Queens College, York College, and Bronx Community College. She earned a BS from Queens College and an MS from Bernard M. Baruch College, in addition to receiving two honorary degrees.