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Steven Damsky, PMP,
chief project officer and
deputy CIO, division
of instructional and
information technology,
New York City Department
of Education, New York,
New York, USA
Station program. Mr. Damsky was drawn to the
“crazy magic” performed by the space agency’s
project managers. “If you become a competent
project manager,” he says, “you can be successful
in any industry.”
Why did the NYCDOE create your role?
The position was created as part of a drive to demonstrate executive commitment to realizing the
benefits of projects and to address past challenges
with complex initiatives. It is a visible commitment
to meaningful and clear accountability for success. Now, we assess our performance against the
NYCDOE’s strategic goals. I have a voice about the
prioritization of projects and the ability to successfully execute them.
High tech helps accelerate class- room learning—but new tools also must fit the strategic goals of educational organizations. At he New York City Department
of Education (NYCDOE), which oversees the largest school system in the United States, it’s Steven
Damsky’s job to ensure that all IT projects provide
pedagogical and organizational value and benefits.
In his division’s enterprise project management
office (EPMO), created in 2012, Mr. Damsky’s
team of 18 project managers works on 60 to 70
initiatives at any given time.
Before moving into project management, Mr.
Damsky was a mechanical engineer working as a
contractor at NASA on the International Space
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