Daniel Napolitano

Daniel Napolitano joined The New School as Chief of Staff to the Provost on May 1, 2022. Previously, he was at Alfred University's New York State College of Ceramics, where he served as the Associate Dean of the School of Art and Design and the Performing Arts Division since 2017. Daniel served as the university lead diversity strategist for over twenty years, including five as the Chief Diversity Officer. Prior to academic affairs, he had an accomplished career in Student Affairs including student leadership development, multicultural affairs, bias response, and new student programs.

Daniel has been a statewide leader in DEI collaboration, receiving national attention for his educational strategies and creative approaches. As founding director of the Art Force 5 collaborative, he has taught social justice / social practice courses, conducted extensive community outreach, and provided workshops for educators across the country. The program's unique art approach received the Unite Rochester prize in 2016, using art to build bridges between police and communities while discussing issues of bias and violence in the city. In 2019, the Art Force 5 engaged Atlanta police and youth for a collaboration featured on the NFL Network. From 2020 to 2022, the Art Force 5 launched the Women's Empowerment Draft to celebrate women's history icons with greater fandom than modern day professional athletes. The 2022 W.E. Draft partnered with 25 NYS colleges and 31 NYS public schools named for women.

Daniel received both his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts Education and his Master of Science in Education, College Student Development, from Alfred University.