Deborah Wright facts for kids

Deborah C. Wright is a well-known leader in business and community work. She was born in 1958. She serves on the boards of several big companies, like Citigroup Inc. and Voya Financial. She also helps lead the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Debbie Wright's Career

Helping Communities and Businesses

From 2015 to 2016, Debbie Wright was a Senior Fellow at the Ford Foundation. This organization, started in 1936, works to help people and communities around the world.

Before that, she was a top leader at Carver Bancorp, Inc. This bank is special because it is the largest publicly traded bank in the U.S. that is operated by African- and Caribbean-Americans. It helps people in neighborhoods like Harlem, Brooklyn, and Queens in New York City. Debbie Wright was the Chairman and CEO of Carver Bancorp for many years, from 2005 to 2014. Under her leadership, Carver was named "Financial Services Company of the Year" in 2006. She was also recognized as "Community Banker of the Year" in 2003 and one of the "25 Most Powerful Women in Banking" in 2010.

Developing New York City

From 1996 to 1999, Debbie Wright was the President and CEO of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. Her job was to help grow the economy in Harlem. She used a large budget to invest in local businesses and cultural places, helping them become stronger.

Earlier, in 1994, she was appointed Commissioner of The Department of Housing Preservation and Development by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In this role, she helped people in New York City buy and own their homes, which were previously managed by the city. Before that, Mayor David N. Dinkins appointed her to important roles on the New York City Housing Authority board and the New York City Planning Commission. She started her career working at the First Boston Corporation and the Partnership for New York City.

Other Important Roles

Debbie Wright has also served on many other important boards. She was on the Harvard University Board of Overseers and the board of The Children's Defense Fund. She was also a founding board member of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. This group was created to help rebuild lower Manhattan after the tragic events of September 11, 2001 terrorist attack.

Education and Background

Debbie Wright is very well-educated. She earned three degrees from Harvard University: a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.), a Juris Doctor (J.D.) which is a law degree, and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) which is a business degree. She grew up in Bennettsville, South Carolina, and Dallas, Texas.