Douglas Israel Named Director of Government and Community Relations

Borough of Manhattan Community College/CUNY welcomes Douglas Israel as the college’s Director of Government and Community Relations.

Israel has more than 15 years experience in developing and implementing government relations, advocacy, and community engagement strategies. Most recently, he served as the Director of Research and Policy with The Center for Arts Education where he developed and directed strategic research and policy initiatives for the organization. During his tenure, Israel, led public and candidate engagement initiative focused on raising profile of arts education during the 2013 New York City elections which resulted in Mayor and City Council agreement to include a new four-year $92 million funding line for arts education in the city budget.

Having spent the last nine years working to ensure that our city’s public school students have access to a well-rounded and challenging curriculum, Mr. Israel says he looks forward to putting his skills and experience to work for BMCC and its students.

“My understanding of the legislative and budgetary process, and relationships I have built in government and the educational realm, will play a key role in helping BMCC achieve its goals and priorities,” he said. “I look forward to working with students, staff, elected officials, and the broader community to make this happen. I hope you all will join me in these efforts.”

Prior to working with the Center for Arts Education, Israel was Director of Public Policy and Advocacy with the Citizens Union; Project Director with the Sea Turtle Restoration Project in Marin, Calif.; and Regional Director with the Center for Environmental Citizenship in Seattle, Wash.

Israel earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, both from State University of New York, Albany. He also received a Master of Arts in Political Science/Environmental Studies from Western Washington University.