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SIPA Faculty
Basil Smikle
International Affairs Building, 13th Floor
Adjunct Lecturer of International and Public Affairs
Phone: 212-854-3213
bas27@columbia.edu
Biography:
Basil Smikle Jr. is a nationally recognized political strategist and policy analyst whose commentary is featured in local and national media outlets. He holds appointments as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the City University of New York’s Murphy Institute for Professional Studies.
Throughout almost 20 years in government and politics, Basil has garnered a reputation 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 Los Angeles 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. Newark Mayor Cory Booker called him a “much sought-after consultant.”
A 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 called Basil a “fresh thinking…school reformer”. The New York Post “enthusiastically” noted that “New York needs such vibrant leadership.”
Basil 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 current U.S. Trade Representative, noted that Basil can “negotiate the politics of any community and knows how to marry it with sound public policy.”
Basil began his consulting career nine years ago and worked 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 School Chancellor Joel Klein and the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence. He has also worked with countless community-based organizations all while bridging the gap between politics and public policy initiatives.
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.
Basil mentors young people in schools across this City to promote public service and education. He created a literacy program in Flushing Queens, where fifth-graders are encouraged to read, write and expand their vocabulary. As a member of the community service organization 100 Black Men, Basil helped start the Eagle Academy in the Bronx, which is poised to open its fourth school in the tri-state area.