Dr. Tony Laing

Please describe your current job duties.

I spearhead the longest running voluntary desegregation busing program in the nation. Our program is part of a network of 33 districts in Massachusetts that facilitates opportunities for urban kids to attend suburban schools. I also facilitate admissions, evaluate how students do academically, how they persist, and most importantly, working to ensure that they graduate. I evaluate opportunity gaps as they relate to students of color and resource distribution, inequalities, and so on. I’m an alumnus of the METCO program, so it’s rewarding for me to be able to give back to the program that I personally benefited and provide opportunities to other students of color.

How did your experiences at Wagner prepare you for your career?

Before attending Wagner, I had very little work experience--I was very green, two years out of undergraduate, compared to some of my classmates, who were working full time and had several years of work experience. My time at Wagner gave me a lot of exposure to group work, providing me with an understanding of the kind of manager I wanted to become. At Wagner, I developed an understanding of why leadership is so important, along with an array of critical skills, though I didn’t have anywhere to apply them at the time. I credit Wagner with helping me learn to creatively problem solve, multitask, and pivot. Over 20 years later, the skills I gained at Wagner have been the foundation of my career. I would have been in a very different space if I hadn’t gone to Wagner. The experience, courses, and the amazing friends made have to this day helped me chart my path unknowingly. Looking back at my experiences, I can say, “I learned that at Wagner.”

How did the network you built at Wagner impact your professional journey?

One of the things I appreciated about my time at Wagner was the early hands-on leadership experience through my connections at Wagner. I was very fortunate to become the board chair of a not-for-profit organization in New York City upon graduation; a Wagner classmate founded that organization and offered me this important role. I spent five years as board chair, and I never would have had that experience so early in my career if it hadn’t been for that friend who I took classes with at Wagner. That role was my first real hands-on experience received directly from a Wagner connection.