Benjamin Morden is an elected Manhattan Representative (1 of 2) to the NY Citywide Council on High Schools (CCHS) for the 2023-2025 term (one term). Council Member Morden has served as the 2024 CCHS Admissions Committee Co-Chair working for a fairer high school admissions process. Council Member Morden has also been a prolific council legislator, lead sponsoring five passed resolutions (2023-2024-09, 2023-2024-10, 2023-2024-12, 2024-2025-13, 2024-2025-17), cosponsoring four passed resolutions (2023-2024-07, 2023-2024-11, 2024-2025-15, 2024-2025-16), and contributing to another three passed resolutions (2023-2024-04, 2023-2024-06, 2023-2024-08) in just one term of volunteer service.
Benjamin Morden is a former elected member of the NYC Community Education Council for District 2 (CECD2) for the 2019-2021 and 2021-2023 terms (two terms). Ben served as CECD2 President from 2021 to 2023, and as CECD2 Treasurer from 2020 to 2021. Both were elected CECD2 officer positions. During his two terms on CECD2, Ben deliberated on more than one hundred twenty resolutions, co-sponsored 49 resolutions, and was the lead sponsored on 16 resolutions. Ben was honored to have chaired consecutive monthly council meetings from 2021 to 2023 via Zoom with total attendance of thousands of District 2 parents and public speakers, doubling the council’s public outreach.
Ben previously served for 5-years as a Class Parent at both PS 33 and PS 116 and was elected to the PS 116 School Leadership Team. Ben was also a volunteer parent Instructor for PS 33’s Math Club/Team.
For nearly two decades, Ben has actively supported afterschool chess programs. In 2019, he helped establish the nonprofit HerMoveNext (HMN) Foundation. HMN encourages more girls to play, tournament direct, and mentor competitive scholastic chess, an activity where 5 out of 6 scholastic players are boys. As the executive director for HMN, Ben helped launch Her League, the first all girls’ online, free chess league. Her League has hosted over 50 monthly tournaments with members from 24 U.S. states and 7 countries, including Canada, China, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Panama.
Ben has actively advocated for accelerated curriculum education since 2018. Ben believes that to obtain both sustainable school integration while raising student outcomes, educators must improve primary education through rigorous and engaging curricula, challenging students to demonstrate proficiencies and encouraging dedication to lifelong learning. Ben believes all students deserve a safe, high-quality, joyful school.
A native New Yorker, Ben attended Queens’ public schools, the Bronx High School of Science, and NYU’s Stern School of Business (BS/MBA). He is a proud father of three daughters, all who attended NYC public schools, with two currently in high school and the oldest in college. He is running for a second CCHS term to champion improving the New York City high school admissions’ process, expanding academic high-dosage tutor recovery programs, adding AP opportunities, encouraging more school sports and activities, and enhancing college and career readiness with greater financial literacy, internship, technology, and ePortfolio focus.