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Bill  de Blasio

Bill de Blasio

Former Mayor of New York City

Bill de Blasio

Former Mayor of New York City

Biography

Managing a crisis is never easy. But trying to handle one of the worst to hit a major city in a century is almost unimaginable—unless you’re former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who worked tirelessly to save lives and return the Big Apple to nearly normal. De Blasio was in charge of leading New York City through the COVID-19 pandemic, turning what was once a global epicenter into the safest city in the country with one of the highest vaccination rates.

But that was just one of the many accomplishments the former mayor is justifiably proud of. During his two terms as leader of America’s largest city, with more than 400,000 employees and a $100 billion operating budget, de Blasio created a groundbreaking initiative that ensured that early childhood education became a universal right in the five boroughs. The universal Pre-K and 3-K programs in New York City have become a national model.

Also during his tenure, New York City financed the preservation and construction of over 200,000 affordable homes, the most created by any administration in the City’s history. In 2019, de Blasio launched a first-in-the-nation, six-point action plan to end long-term homelessness. “The Journey Home” initiative was designed to increase access to housing and health care in combination with rapid-response outreach efforts for homeless individuals living on the streets.

In fulfilling his campaign promise to end a “tale of two cities,” de Blasio implemented policies that successfully reduced income inequality among New Yorkers and fought alongside them to secure a $15 minimum wage for all workers.

In response to the growing climate crisis, de Blasio and the City Council passed the Climate Mobilization Act (or the New York City Green New Deal) to make the city net-carbon-neutral by 2050, as well as groundbreaking legislation to reduce building emissions and to end fossil fuel use in new buildings.

De Blasio also ended the city’s controversial stop-and-frisk program and worked to bring the NYPD and communities closer together, while at the same time reducing crime rates to a record low.

Prior to being an elected official, de Blasio served as the campaign manager for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s successful senatorial campaign of 2000 and got his start in New York City government working for Mayor David Dinkins. He is currently visiting fellow at New York University’s (NYU) Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where he gives formal talks, engages directly with students, faculty and alumni and teaches a graduate course. Last year, he was a visiting fellow at The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

De Blasio graduated from NYU with a B.A. in Metropolitan Studies and from Columbia University with an M.A. in International Affairs.

Speaker Videos

Bill de Blasio Announces His Run For Congress | Morning Joe

Joe Biden Can Learn From My Mistakes | Morning Joe

Working People First | Bill de Blasio 2020

Speech Topics

Decision 2024: Analyzing the Impact of the Election on America's Future

One thing is for sure: Our upcoming national election will be a pivotal moment in American history, and its ramifications will shape our political landscape for years to come. In this talk, Bill de Blasio, former mayor of New York City, dives into the electoral landscape, from what it means for everything from civil rights to climate change to healthcare to economic, educational and cultural issues to how a second Trump term or the election of Kamala Harris will affect us all. The choices we make today will shape our future. Bill will keep you informed by unpacking the outcomes and the impact on America’s future.

Confronting the Climate Crisis

When former Mayor Bill de Blasio took office in 2014, the city of New York was still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The unprecedented storm caused an estimated $19 billion in damages, 44 deaths and thousands of New Yorkers displaced from their homes. For de Blasio, it was confirmation that sweeping actions needed to be taken to address the climate crisis. The outcome was one of the most extensive bills to reduce our carbon footprint ever passed—the Climate Mobilization Act. It made New York City a global leader when it comes to fighting climate change. In this talk, de Blasio shares how New York is attacking global warming with its “Green New Deal” with real examples of how the city is reducing carbon emissions. And how you can get involved on the local level, too. “We have to go further than we ever thought we could and we have to do it faster than we ever thought we would,” he says. “This is no longer an option. This must be done.

Proven Leadership Principles in Times of Adversity

His official title may not have been CEO but the former Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, definitely had the responsibility of one. As the city’s top leader, he managed approximately 400,000 public employees, had an operating budget of $100 billion and led the largest public health system in the country. That, by itself, would be enough. But he also had to lead his 9 million residents through one of the biggest challenges his city ever experienced when New York became the epicenter of the pandemic. And yet, he persevered—turning New York into one of the safest cities around. In this talk, de Blasio shares his leadership strategies and tips to achieve the seemingly impossible and real-life lessons in pushing through incredibly difficult challenges for any organization. From mission sensibility to decision-making and consensus building to crisis management to communication and strategy, as well as giving back, you’ll learn what it takes to be someone who gets things done and how to become a leader others will follow in good times and bad.

The Social Determinants of Health & How to Fight the Inequities

If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us is that our healthcare system is not equitable. Those marginalized do not receive the same care or access. That’s one thing that former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged to fix and he did just that. In 2019, the mayor launched NYC CARE, the largest, most comprehensive plan in the nation with a goal to guarantee healthcare for every New Yorker. The plan serves hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers without insurance by strengthening the city’s public health insurance option and guaranteeing anyone ineligible for insurance—including undocumented New Yorkers—has direct access to physicians, pharmacies and mental health and substance abuse services. Sharing very human stories, de Blasio shows how New York City overcame huge barriers to put this unprecedented approach into action. He also provides the tools he and his team developed during COVID and how they can and should be applied moving forward in healthcare delivery. It’s a major step in making healthcare more equitable and a model for everyone to follow.

The Future of Healthcare Delivery

As Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio led the largest public health system in the country at a time of one of the biggest healthcare crises to hit the world in 100 years. What he soon learned during the pandemic is that our healthcare systems are not set up to get critical health information and treatment to those who needed it the most. In this talk, de Blasio discusses solutions to fix this problem and the tools that are necessary, from new advances in telemedicine to using a public information approach to getting the private and public sectors to work together to address the disparities and needs for healthcare in the future.

Fighting the New Mental Health Crisis

There is a new crisis in healthcare brewing that many aren’t talking about. There is a chronic shortage of mental health professionals in this country and it’s going to keep increasing as the demand for mental health continues to grow. The time to start fixing it is now, says the former Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio. In this talk, de Blasio shows how recruiting and educating professionals in other sectors works and how it can be the same for the mental health industry. He also offers solutions on how to get more people involved in mental health delivery through public, private and corporate sectors working together.

Early Childhood Education: Public Pre-K & 3-K for All

For Bill de Blasio, one of his most significant accomplishments as Mayor of New York City was the implementation of universal Pre-K and 3-K, which provides all families with two years of free, full-day, high-quality preschool for their three- and four-year-old children. He’s deeply proud of this achievement and there is good reason for it. Studies have shown that children who attend these programs have the best chance for success in their future academic and post-academic lives. In this talk, de Blasio shares the story of how he was able to achieve what many thought was unattainable, the benefits of the program and the challenges his team had to overcome to make this dream come true. Full of hope and promise, this talk proves that you can make a difference and help future generations—no matter what obstacles you face.

The Power of Embracing Diversity

When it comes to embracing diversity, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a very personal story to tell. In this powerful talk, he shares his experiences, from his family’s reaction to marrying a Black woman to raising bi-racial children to working for the first Black mayor of New York to having more than 53% women on his leadership team at City Hall. He’s passionate about DEI and the power there is in supporting it. And his accomplishments, while leading the most diverse city in the world, prove it. He’ll share the obstacles he had to overcome and how to make progress, even when many are fighting against you. It’s something he’ll never give up. “We need an inspiring vision of equality that resonates in the hearts, minds and souls of all Americans,” de Blasio says.

Testimonials