Omar Wasow

Omar Wasow is an Assistant Professor in Princeton’s Department of Politics. His research focuses on race and politics, particularly in relation to education and criminal justice policy. Prior to joining the academy, Omar co-founded one of the first major social networks, BlackPlanet.com. He has also served as an on-air technology analyst for NBC, CNN and NPR. In 2003, he helped found Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School and continues to serve on its board. He is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the Aspen Institute’s Henry Crown Fellowship and the Rockefeller Foundation's Next Generation Leadership Fellowship. He received a PhD in African American Studies, an AM in Statistics and an AM in Government from Harvard. He received his BA from Stanford. Executive Director of Blackplanet.com (the leading internet site for African Americans), Internet Analyst for MS-NBC and NBC’s flagship New York TV Channel WNBC, founder of New York Online, described by Newsweek as one of the “fifty most influential people to watch in cyberspace,” and Former Chairman of the Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School in Bedford Stuyvesant.