Basil Smikle

Basil Smikle Jr. is the Executive Director of the New York State Democratic Party whose commentary on politics and public policy is regularly featured on local and national media outlets, including TheHill.com where he is a contributor.  As the second highest ranking Democrat in New York State, Basil supports the Democratic Party’s agenda by amplifying Governor Cuomo''s platform and synching his agenda with Party leaders and activists through an aggressive grassroots and media strategy.  In his role, Basil coordinates Congressional and Presidential campaigns with the DNC, works with a team to conduct national fundraising strategies, and is focused on stregnthening the Party’s digital platform.

Basil is also a Ph.D. candidate at Teachers College of Columbia University concentrating in Education and Politics where he has received multiple fellowships for his research in the politics of urban education. He holds appointments as an adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.  Previously, he managed an eponymous political and policy consulting firm with diverse clients such as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, The William Jefferson Clinton Foundation, The New York Urban League, AT&T, Senator Joe Lieberman, former New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence.

Recognized as a staunch advocate for public service and education equity, he is quickly becoming part of the next generation of thinkers and policy advocates. In 2010, Basil was featured in the L.A. Times as “Harlem’s New Political Elite”. In his mid-30s, City Hall Magazine named him one of 50 rising stars in New York Politics. United States Senator Cory Booker called him a "much sought-after consultant". 

During a 2010 run for New York State Senate (in an area representing Harlem and Upper Manhattan), Basil challenged an incumbent Democrat in a primary on education and job creation.  His campaign gained national attention for his reforms in education and government. An early profile in the Wall Street Journal led to a feature in a New York Magazine cover story on the next generation of African American leaders. The New York Daily News endorsed Basil, calling him a “fresh thinking...school reformer”. The New York Post “enthusiastically” endorsed saying “New York needs such vibrant leadership”.

He was a senior aide to Hillary Rodham Clinton during her first campaign for Senate and later on her Senate staff. Mrs. Clinton called Basil a “key advisor and tremendous public servant...who makes sure all voices are heard”. Ron Kirk, the former Mayor of Dallas and President Obama’s former US Trade Representative, noted that Basil can “negotiate the politics of any community and knows how to marry it with sound public policy”. 

Basil graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1993 from Cornell University in Industrial and Labor Relations. In 1996, he received a Masters Degree in Public Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. While there, he was awarded the Columbia University Departmental Fellowship and the Public Affairs Fellowship.

Education

• Masters Degree in Public Policy, Columbia University
• BS, Cornell University