Harold O. Levy

In April 2018, Levy announced that he had Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in an Op-Ed arguing for educational reforms for college admissions, including the ending of legacy admissions and increased financial aid. He died at his Manhattan home on November 27, 2018.

The first-ever national convening of the principals of selective public high schools was organized by Levy in 2015 on the topic "Closing the Excellence Gap: Nurturing Talent of High-Achieving, Low-Income High School Students." The conference led to the creation of the Coalition of Leaders for Advanced Student Success (CLASS), which works to ensure that the nation's brightest students, regardless of income, have the skills and knowledge to succeed in school and the workforce. A second conference was held in February 2016.

In August 2014, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced that Levy had been named executive director effective September 1. Levy leads the foundation's efforts to support high-performing, low-income students.

The Cooke Foundation's groundbreaking education research and media coverage for the research have also increased since Levy became executive director in 2014. In addition, he has started a new scholarship that enables Cooke Scholars to pursue graduate degrees at Oxford and Cambridge universities.

In 2010, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan appointed Levy to the Committee on Measures of Student Success. Levy currently serves on several corporate and philanthropic boards, including Cambium Learning Group, MetSchools, and the American College of Greece. Mr. Levy has received numerous awards and honors, was an adjunct professor at Columbia University, and is the author of numerous articles and editorials.

Most recently, Levy was a managing director and education practice head for Palm Ventures, LLC, from 2010 to 2014. The firm invests in businesses with a transformative social impact, including for-profit schools such as Cogswell Polytechnical College and Nightingale College, and education technology businesses such as Producteev, LateNiteLabs, and FIRE Solutions.

Levy left the office of chancellor in August 2002 after overseeing a friendly transition to his successor, Joel Klein.

Levy became New York City School Chancellor in 2000, managing a $13 billion budget. He served for nearly three years, including during 9/11. The system is the nation's largest, at the time serving 1.1 million students. It currently has more than 1,800 schools.

The Cooke Foundation is a private, independent foundation dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Founded in 2000 by the estate of the late Jack Kent Cooke, the Cooke Foundation has awarded over $152 million in scholarships to nearly 2,200 students from 8th grade through graduate school, and over $90 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. The foundation's endowment was worth $641 million as of July 2016.

In 1986, Levy married Patricia Sapinsley, an architect who now works in the Urban Future Lab at New York University. They have two children, Hannah and Noah. Hannah is a sculptor in New York City who graduated from Cornell and the Staedelschule fine arts academy, having held a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) fellowship, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Levy's parents were Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. His father, a former textile merchant in Trier, Germany, owned a hardware store on East 59th Street, and the family lived in the Washington Heights neighborhood. A student leader throughout his education, he graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1970. He earned a B.S in 1974 from Cornell University's School of Industrial & Labor Relations. During his time at Cornell, he resided in the Telluride House. He then earned an M.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics in 1978 from Oxford University, and J.D. in 1979 from Cornell Law School.

Harold Oscar Levy (December 14, 1952 – November 27, 2018) was an American lawyer and philanthropist who last served as the executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the largest scholarship foundation in the United States. Having previously held leadership roles as a corporate attorney, venture capital investor and as a manager in the financial services industry, Levy is best known for having served as Chancellor of the New York City public schools, the largest school system in the U.S., from 2000 to 2002.