Who’s who in Eric Adams’ administration

Yes, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is thinking about “emotional intelligence” as he fills out his administration. But as he settles into the office, he’s also thought a lot about demographic representation. In his first year, Adams appointed the city’s first female police commissioner, named a team of six deputy mayors that includes five women and five people of color, and tapped a Latino man to head the city Department of Correction and its majority Black and Latino workforce. 

The start of Adams’ second year in office was accompanied by some administration shake-ups. Late in 2022, government veteran Lorraine Grillo announced that she’d be leaving her position as first deputy mayor – just a few weeks after Frank Carone, Adams’ longtime ally, said he’d step down as chief of staff by the end of the year. The mayor has repeatedly pushed back on questions about whether dysfunction within his administration led to the departures, claiming that both Grillo and Carone agreed to help lay the groundwork for the new administration, but didn’t plan to stay long term. 

In early February 2023, Department of Social Services Commissioner Gary Jenkins announced that he would be stepping down as the city strains to manage its shelter population and the influx of asylum-seekers. Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich also resigned last November, following the Manhattan district attorney’s office questioning him in connection with an illegal gambling investigation. 

We’d be remiss to not mention the czars as well – the city now has many of them, including several appointed in April 2023: a rat czar and a lead paint czar. 

Here’s who has been appointed to major positions in the Adams administration so far. This list is updated as of June 1, 2023.

City Hall Insiders

First deputy mayor: Sheena Wright

Wright was appointed deputy for strategic initiatives after leading Adams’ transition committee, and in January 2023 assumed the role of first deputy mayor following Lorraine Grillo’s departure. She was once the president and CEO of the nonprofit United Way of New York City, and before that, she led the Abyssinian Development Corp. Her reported partner is David Banks, who has been appointed city schools chancellor. Her appointment as the next first deputy mayor was announced Dec. 6, 2022. 

Deputy mayor for economic and workforce development: Maria Torres-Springer

Most recently the vice president for U.S. programs at the Ford Foundation, Torres-Springer previously served in the de Blasio administration as commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corp. and commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. Her husband, Jamie Torres-Springer, is president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s construction and development division. Her appointment was announced on Dec. 20, 2021.

Deputy mayor for health and human services: Anne Williams-Isom

Prior to joining the administration, Williams-Isom was the James R. Dumpson endowed chair in child welfare at Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Service, Williams-Isom is best known as the former CEO and COO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, an anti-poverty nonprofit organization. Before that, she was at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services for more than a decade, ending her tenure as a deputy commissioner. Her appointment was announced on Dec. 20, 2021.

Deputy mayor for operations: Meera Joshi

Joshi came to the Adams administration from the federal government, where she’s deputy administrator in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. She was briefly New York general manager at Sam Schwartz consultants before that, but is best known as the former chair and CEO of New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission. She also has experience at the city Department of Investigation and the Civilian Complaint Review Board. Her appointment was announced on Dec. 20, 2021.

Deputy mayor for public safety: Philip Banks

Banks resigned as chief of department for the NYPD in 2014 after a 28-year career. He said the cause was professional differences between himself and then-Commissioner Bill Bratton. But it was later revealed that Banks was under federal investigation for possible influence trading. He was never charged with a crime, but named in court papers as an unindicted co-conspirator. More recently, Banks has been consulting city governments and police departments with his firm CitySafe Partners. His appointment was officially announced on Jan. 7, 2022.

Incoming deputy mayor for strategic initiatives: Ana Almanzar

Almanzar will officially join the Adams administration in early June 2023 after spending much of her professional career bridging the gap between the nonprofit and government sector. Most recently, she served as director of community relations at Mother Cabrini Health Foundation where she worked to bolster health outcomes in diverse communities. Prior to that, she was chief of staff under the Cuomo administration’s nonprofit division. Almanzar’s appointment was announced May 26, 2023.

Chief adviser to the mayor: Ingrid Lewis-Martin

Lewis-Martin has been one of Adams’ closest advisers since before he entered the state Senate in 2007. The “tough-as-nails gatekeeper” has worked with him throughout Adams’ political career, most recently as deputy borough president of Brooklyn. Her appointment was announced on Jan. 10, 2022.

Chief counsel to the mayor: Brendan McGuire

A partner at white shoe law firm WilmerHale, McGuire previously led the public corruption unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Back in March, McGuire wrote an op-ed in the Daily News calling on strict anti-corruption standards for the next mayor. McGuire is the son of Robert McGuire, who served as NYPD commissioner under former New York City Mayor Ed Koch. His appointment was announced on Dec. 17, 2021.

Chief of staff to the mayor: Camille Joseph Varlack

Varlack, an attorney and the former senior adviser to the mayor, was named Adams’ next chief of staff in December 2022. Before joining city government, Varlack worked at the law firm Bradford Edwards & Varlack LLP as a founding partner and chief operating officer. She also oversaw 60 agencies in state government under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the deputy director of state operations, chief risk officer and special counsel. She assumed the role of chief of staff in January 2023.

First deputy chief of staff to the mayor: Dawn Miller

Previously chief of staff at the Taxi and Limousine Commission, Miller was more recently in the private sector as vice president for policy and partnerships at Coord, a street space management tech startup. 

Deputy chief of staff to the mayor: Madeline Labadie

Labadie is also coming from the TLC, where she worked for seven years, most recently as director of strategic initiatives. Before that, she was a political coordinator for the Hotel Trades Council. 

Deputy chief of staff to the mayor: Menashe Shapiro

A top staffer on Eric Adams’ mayoral campaign – known for defending the candidate on Twitter – Shapiro is an attorney and longtime political consultant who previously worked on Michael Bloomberg’s presidential and 2009 reelection campaign. 

Deputy chief of staff and senior emergency adviser: Molly Schaeffer

Staying on from Bill de Blasio’s City Hall, Schaeffer is going to focus on COVID-19 and “public safety” for Adams. Schaeffer had been with de Blasio since his first election as mayor, previously serving as a policy adviser at DOE, then DOHMH and deputy chief of staff to the deputy mayor for operations.

Director of Intergovernmental and External Affairs: Tiffany Raspberry

A top adviser on Adams’ campaign and transition team, Raspberry has been a political consultant and lobbyist for nearly two decades, recently representing clients including Success Academy charter schools and tobacco company Reynolds American. She now leds his intergovernmental affairs team. 

Senior advisor for public safety and COVID recovery: Timothy Pearson

Pearson is one of the mayor’s closest friends, and he seems to get special treatment within City Hall. His salary is paid by the city’s nonprofit Economic Development Corporation, which exempts him from many disclosure rules and allows him to keep receiving his police pension. He was also initially allowed to keep his second job leading security at the Resorts World casino in Queens. He quit that, but now has a job in Adams’ orbit, Politico reported, “with ill-defined responsibilities and outsized influence.”

Senior adviser to the mayor: Stefan Ringel

Ringel is one of Adams’ longest-tenured aides. He started at Brooklyn Borough Hall under the previous borough president, Marty Markowitz, and worked for Adams as communications director, then senior adviser, and worked on his mayoral campaign as well. Before that, Ringel worked comms for then-Council Member Jumaane Williams.

Senior adviser to the mayor and director of scheduling: Gladys Miranda

Miranda is one of Adams’ closest aides, and he thanked her in particular on election night. She held the same title working for Adams at Brooklyn Borough Hall, where she first started in 2007 under then-Borough President Marty Markowitz. 

Senior adviser for workforce development: Jose Ortiz Jr. 

Since 2018, Ortiz has been chief executive officer of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition, an interest group for more than 200 workforce development organizations in the city. Before that, he worked at workforce nonprofit Pursuit and the 92nd Street Y. 

Senior adviser and director of public service engagement to the mayor: Andrea Shapiro Davis

A longtime City University of New York leader who most recently served as interim vice chancellor for university advancement, she previously worked as a senior adviser to former Mayor Bloomberg, whose City Hall she worked in for all 12 years. 

Senior adviser to the mayor: Joel Eisdorfer

Eisdorfer has been a lobbyist with his firm, New York Capital Group, where he represented real estate developers, among others. Before that, he worked as a top aide to Adams when he was borough president and a state Senator before that. According to Hamodia, Eisdorfer is the first Hasidic Jew on the mayor’s senior staff.

Senior adviser for severe mental illness: Brian Stettin

Brian Stettin, the longtime policy director at the Treatment Advocacy Center, will serve directly under Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom, working on the city’s in-patient psychiatric programs and Assisted Outpatient Treatment programs, and serving New Yorkers with severe mental illness. Stettin’s appointment marks a return to New York government; he previously served as counsel to the Health Committee of the New York Assembly, among other roles. His appointment was announced on July 11th, 2022.

Senior education adviser: Mark Treyger

The former City Council Member, who represented parts of southern Brooklyn for eight years, is also executive director of intergovernmental affairs for the Department of Education. A close ally of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Treyger was previously a high school teacher and union delegate. His appointment was announced in January 2022. 

Chief administrative officer: Mir Bashar

Mir Bashar’s promotion puts the former senior director of budget and financial planning under Bill de Blasio in charge of day-to-day finances, budget, contracts and administration. He has been working in similar roles at City Hall since Rudy Giuliani’s administration. Bashar’s appointment was announced on July 15, 2022.

Special counsel to the mayor: Ama Dwimoh

Dwimoh is a veteran of Team Eric Adams, having served as special counsel and chief of compliance to Adams when he was Brooklyn borough president. Dwimoh took a brief break from brough hall to run for Brooklyn district attorney in a failed bid in 2017.

Chief of staff to the first deputy mayor: Yume Kitasei

Kitasei brings a long history in city government to the role serving under Wright. Kitasei worked in the de Blasio administration in multiple roles including chief of staff to the deputy mayor for operations, and before that served as chief of staff to former New York City Council Member Margaret Chin.

Communications director: Maxwell Young

Young was previously chief public affairs officer and senior vice president at Everytown for Gun Safety. Before that, he worked in communications for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, The Rockefeller Foundation and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer.

Press secretary: Fabien Levy

Levy comes from Attorney General Letitia James’ office where he was press secretary and senior adviser. Levy did communications for a variety of political campaigns and government offices over the last 15 years including a stint working for now-Gov. Kathy Hochul when she was serving in Congress. 

Special assistant to the mayor: Rachel Atcheson

Rachel Atcheson will serve as senior assistant – and unofficial food diarist – to Adams, as well as the at-large director of the SUNY Downstate Committee on Plant-Based Health and Nutrition. Atcheson previously worked on animal welfare issues in the mayor’s office. 

Senior adviser for mayoral security: Bernard Adams

The mayor received a waiver from the Conflicts of Interest Board to hire his brother. To get around the normal rules against benefiting close family members, Bernard Adams will receive a salary of just $1 a year. The NYPD will still oversee the mayor’s detail, but Bernard Adams will serve as a senior adviser, based in the mayor’s office. Bernard Adams is a retired NYPD sergeant who more recently worked at ​​Legalshield, a multilevel marketing firm, and as an administrator at Virginia Commonwealth University’s office of parking and transportation. 

Special adviser to the mayor and director of Asian affairs: Winnie Greco

Greco has been an Adams ally dating back to his borough presidency, where she served as an ambassador to the Chinese community. She traveled with Adams to China in 2014 on a cultural trip hosted by her nonprofit, the Sino-America New York Brooklyn Archway Association Corp. Greco previously ran an food export business, Valley Fresh Direct. Greco’s hire was never formally announced by City Hall, but the City Record shows she started Jan. 2, 2022. 

Agency Heads

Department for the Aging commissioner: Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez

Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, who sits on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board and on the board of trustees for the City University of New York, has been Department for the Aging commissioner since 2019. Adams announced her reappointment on March 31. She previously served as secretary of state under Govs. Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson and worked at the AARP and the Hispanic Federation.

Department of Buildings commissioner: Jimmy Oddo

Former Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo was announced as the next commissioner of the Department of Buildings on April 27, 2023, as City & State first  reported. Oddo takes over as commissioner following fellow Republican and former City Council Member Eric Ulrich’s resignation in November 2022, after Ulrich was questioned in connection to an illegal gambling investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. Kazimir Vilenchik, who was first deputy commissioner under Ulrich, had been serving as acting commissioner after Ulrich’s departure and will now return to the first deputy position. Oddo was already an Adams administration insider, serving as chief of staff to Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi.

Business Integrity commissioner and chair: Elizabeth Crotty

A defense attorney in private practice, Crotty ran for Manhattan district attorney in 2021, finishing sixth in the eight-way primary. She was previously an assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and a litigator at Kreindler & Kreindler. 

Administration for Children’s Services commissioner: Jess Dannhauser 

New York City’s child welfare system will fall under the leadership of Dannhauser, the former president and CEO of Graham Windham, a social services nonprofit for children and families. Dannhauser previously worked at ACS in several positions, including associate commissioner for performance measurement, monitoring and improvement.

Department of Citywide Administrative Services commissioner: Dawn Pinnock

Already the acting commissioner since November 2021, Pinnock officially got the commissioner title in the Adams administration. She was previously the DCAS executive deputy commissioner, and before that, worked for New York City Transit and NYCHA.

Department of City Planning director and City Planning Commission chair: Dan Garodnick

Most recently president and CEO of the Riverside Park Conservancy, who brought lawn-mowing goats to the greenspace, Garodnick is best known for representing much of the east side of Manhattan in the New York City Council from 2006 until 2017. In that position, he helped negotiate the purchase of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village. 

Department of City Planning executive director: Edith Hsu-Chen

While the City Charter mandates that the DCP director and CPC chair are the same person, Hsu-Chen will also have a leading role at City Planning. Hsu-Chen has been with DCP since 1997, when she started as an intern, and most recently served as the agency’s Manhattan director.

Department of Consumer and Worker Protection commissioner: Vilda Vera Mayuga

Most recently deputy secretary of state for economic opportunity, Mayuga has served in government for years, previously as chair of the New York State Industrial Board of Appeals, deputy commissioner for worker protection at the state Department of Labor, an assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Bureau, an agency attorney at the Fire Department of New York and a paralegal specialist at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

Department of Correction commissioner: Louis Molina

Molina was most recently chief of the Las Vegas Department of Public Safety in Nevada, but before that, the former NYPD detective served for about a year as the chief internal monitor and acting assistant commissioner in the DOC’s compliance unit, which monitored the use of force in city jails.

Department of Cultural Affairs commissioner: Laurie Cumbo

Cumbo represented parts of Brooklyn in the City Council from 2014 through 2021, and endorsed Adams on the day he formally launched his campaign. Before that, she founded and led the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts. Cumbo has long been expected to get this position, but she has a history of politically divisive comments, and she faced criticism and internal dissent from the mayoral transition committee after making what some thought were racist, anti-immigrant statements during a vote on a bill to allow non-citizen voting. 

Schools chancellor: David Banks

Banks helped Adams’ transition, but is best known as the founding principal of Eagle Academy for Young Men, a network of public schools geared toward low-income Black and Latino boys. His reported partner is Sheena Wright, who has been appointed deputy mayor for strategic initiatives. 

Department of Environmental Protection commissioner and chief climate officer: Rohit Aggarwala

The former director of long-term planning and sustainability under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Aggarwala was most recently a fellow at Cornell’s Urban Tech Hub and has advised the Adams administration on how the city can enhance its use of technology in government services. The commissioner for the last four years, Vincent Sapienza, will be staying at DEP, serving as chief operations officer. 

Department of Finance commissioner: Preston Niblack

Niblack has been outgoing New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s deputy comptroller for budget for about five years. He previously worked in the City Council finance division, and did a stint in the private sector at lobbying firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.

Fire commissioner: Laura Kavanagh

It took ten full months before her appointment was finalized, but on Oct. 27, 2022, it was announced Kavanagh would be the first woman to serve as FDNY commissioner. She had been acting commissioner since February, and worked in various roles in the agency for eight years under de Blasio. Before that, she was a political consultant, advising de Blasio’s first mayoral campaign, and working at The Advance Group.

Health commissioner: Dr. Ashwin Vasan

A mental health specialist and primary care physician, Vasan was the CEO of Fountain House, a national nonprofit that provides services to people with mental illness. He also practices internal medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and is an assistant professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Vasan replaced Dr. Dave Chokshi as health commissioner in March 2022. Chokshi, referred to as “the city’s doctor,” was appointed in August 2020 and served as the public face of the agency through some of the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Department of Homeless Services administrator: Joslyn Carter

Carter has been DHS administrator since 2017, and will remain on the job. A licensed clinical social worker, she has worked at DHS for nearly two decades, and before that worked for both Kings County Hospital and the American Red Cross. 

Housing Preservation and Development commissioner: Adolfo Carrión Jr. 

Back to city politics after some time away, Carrión was a New York City Council member, Bronx Borough President from 2002 to 2009, the director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs under President Obama and the regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. More recently he worked in private real estate development, first for the Stagg Group, then forming his own development and consulting firm, Metro Futures. 

Department of Emergency Management commissioner: Zach Iscol

Adams announced on Feb. 17, 2022 that his former challenger in the Democratic mayoral primary will lead the agency. Iscol, a Marine veteran who ran on a moderate platform, dropped out of the mayoral race and backed Adams while running his own campaign for comptroller. His mother, Jill Iscol, is a former adviser to Hillary Clinton, who described Iscol during his comptroller campaign as someone who “comes at everything from the mind-set of ‘how do we bring resources and assets together to solve problems and address inequities.’” Iscol also served as deputy director of the Javits Center during the pandemic. 

Human Resources Administration administrator: Lisa Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick has worked at HRA for more than 37 years, starting as an eligibility specialist and most recently serving as program officer for the Medical Assistance Program and the Family Independence Administration.

Department of Investigation commissioner: Jocelyn Strauber

A partner at law firm Skadden, Arps, focusing on government enforcement and white collar crime, Strauber was previously co-chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. 

Corporation Counsel: Sylvia Hinds-Radix

Hinds-Radix will lead the city’s law department. She was first elected as a judge in 2004, most recently serving as associate justice of the state appellate division, second department. She started her career in legal services for District Council 37, and she was the one who swore Adams in as mayor on Jan. 1, 2022.

Parks and Recreation commissioner: Sue Donoghue

Going from one park to all parks, Donoghue was previously the president and park administrator for the Prospect Park Alliance, a position she had held since 2014 where she oversaw some parks department employees. Before that she was a senior adviser and assistant commissioner in the Department of Parks and Recreation and worked on former Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC sustainability blueprint.

NYPD commissioner: Keechant Sewell

The first woman to lead the department is the former chief of detectives in the Nassau County Police Department. Sewell is originally from Queens and has been in policing for 25 years. 

Department of Probation Commissioner: Juanita Holmes

Holmes, the former chief of training for the NYPD and a 35-year veteran of the department, was tapped for the position in March, replacing recently departed Probation Commissioner Ana Bermudez. In 2016, she became the first Black woman to serve as a precinct commander.

Department of Sanitation commissioner: Jessica Tisch

Adams appointed Jessica Tisch – the former commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications – to lead the Sanitation Department, confirming long-swirling rumors that Tisch planned to stick around with this administration. Early reports of Tisch’s appointment initially prompted a lament from the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association president that Adams was “letting somebody very good get away,” referring to former Commissioner Ed Grayson. While it was never announced by the Adams administration, City & State first reported that Tisch had been leading the City Cleanup Corps since the beginning of 2022 in what appeared to be a “try out” for the sanitation job. Adams praised Tisch as a “Get Stuff Done leader” when her appointment as sanitation commissioner was officially announced on April 18, 2022.

School Construction Authority president and CEO: Nina Kubota

Kubota has been with SCA since 1998, and took over the top spot in April 2021 when Bill de Blasio appointed Grillo to lead the city’s pandemic recovery. She’ll remain in her position in Adams’ administration. 

Department of Small Business Services commissioner: Kevin Kim

Previously commissioner of the New York State Liquor Authority, Kim was more recently a partner at law firm Yoon LLP, specializing in liquor license law.

Acting Department of Social Services commissioner: Molly Wasow Park

Following Gary Jenkins’ departure as commissioner of the Department of Social Services, Molly Wasow Park, the first deputy commissioner at the Department of Homeless Services, will serve as acting commissioner.

Transportation commissioner: Ydanis Rodriguez

The term-limited City Council member who always seemed to be by Adams’ side on the campaign trail will lead the Department of Transportation, after eight years providing oversight as chair of the City Council’s Committee on Transportation. Before taking office, he was a teacher and activist.

Department of Transportation chief of staff: Ryan Lynch

Lynch joined Adams at Brooklyn Borough Hall back in 2014, rising up to becoming the then-borough president’s chief of staff. He started out the year as a deputy chief of staff in City Hall, but had left to serve DOT by October. It’s a good fit – he was a director with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign before entering government.

Department of Design and Construction commissioner: Thomas Foley

Acting Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Thomas Foley is officially staying on as head of the department, which he joined in 1998 as an engineer-in-charge. Foley has led the department – which oversees the city’s capital construction projects – since October, when former Commissioner Jamie Torres-Springer left for a job at the MTA.

Department of Youth and Community Development commissioner: Keith Howard 

Howard was formerly an associate deputy commissioner at the New York City Department of Transportation where he managed the Vision Zero program. Earlier in his career, he served in a number of watchdog and investigatory roles in city government, working as an inspector with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, a special investigator for the Joint Commission on Integrity in the Public Schools, and an investigator for the CCRB. His appointment was announced on June 15th, 2022. 

Other Offices

Board of Standards and Appeals chair: Shampa Chanda

Shampa Chanda, a commissioner on the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals, was appointed to chair the board, which can provide relief from the city’s zoning code. Salvatore, another of the five commissioners on the board, was appointed vice chair.

Cannabis NYC director: Dasheeda Dawson

Dawson is the first director of the new initiative under the Department of Small Business Services. Her appointment was announced Oct. 12, 2022. A former corporate business strategist, Dawson pivoted to the marijuana industry as an advocate, author and strategist. She was previously the cannabis program manager for the city of Portland, Oregon.

Chief Efficiency Officer: Melanie La Rocca

Commissioner of the Department of Buildings since May 2019, La Rocca took on a newly created role in the Adams administration known as “the efficiency czar.” Before DOB, she worked under Grillo at the SCA and was chief of staff to former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Chief Housing Officer: Jessica Katz

Katz has been the executive director of the research and advocacy organization Citizens Housing & Planning Council since 2018, and before that, was an assistant commissioner at HPD. Katz will have a portfolio similar to previous deputy mayors for housing, overseeing agencies including HPD, HDC NYCHA and more. She announced on May 24, 2023 that she’d be leaving the administration in the coming months. 

Chief Medical Examiner: Jason Graham

Jason Graham has served as acting chief medical examiner since December 2021 and his appointment to lead the Office of Chief Medical Examiner was announced April 20, 2022. He has been working at the agency since 2006 and has led its response to the opioid epidemic. Graham is a physician and also chairs the Department of Forensic Medicine at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine.

Chief Technology Officer: Matt Fraser

Fraser took on the newly expanded role of chief technology officer, leading the new Office of Technology and Innovation. He was the NYPD deputy commissioner of information technology and did a private sector stint before that as director of consulting services at Gartner.

Chief Public Realm Officer: Ya-Ting Liu

Ya-Ting Liu, the chief strategy officer to Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, adds a brand-new title to her resume with Adams’ creation of the “chief public realm officer.” The role will focus broadly on the city’s use of public spaces, including the push to create a permanent outdoor dining program.

Civilian Complaint Review Board interim chair: Arva Rice

Rice has sat on the CCRB since June 2021. She is the president and CEO of the New York Urban League, a Black empowerment nonprofit organization. Rice is only an interim appointment, replacing former Chair Fred Davie, who had previously announced he would be stepping down. Adams has the power to make an interim appointment on his own, while a full chair is jointly appointed by both the mayor and the speaker of the City Council. 

Commission on Human Rights commissioner and chair: Annabel Palma

Adams reappointed Palma as chair of the Commission of Human Rights, a position she’s held since October 2021. Prior to serving as chair, Palma represented a Bronx district in the City Council for 12 years, and was later a deputy commissioner in the Department of Social Services and chief equity officer for the Test & Trace Corps. Her reappointment was announced on June 6, 2022.

Conflicts of Interest Board chair: Milton Williams Jr.

Adams nominated former federal prosecutor Milton Williams Jr. to lead the city’s Conflict of Interest Board on Aug. 5, 2022. Williams more recently worked as a partner at Walden Macht & Haran.

Director of city legislative affairs: Jessica Carrano

Carrano comes from Red Horse Strategies, the lead firm on Adams’ 2021 campaign. Before her five years at Red Horse, Carrano worked as Long Island political director, then state elections director for the Working Families Party. 

Director of state legislative affairs: Christopher Ellis

Most recently associate vice chancellor for workforce development initiatives at the State University of New York, Ellis was previously special assistant to the state chief information officer and director of the office for technology and a senior legislative fiscal analyst for the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. 

Director of federal legislative affairs: Crystal Price

Price, the former deputy director of federal legislative affairs under Bill de Blasio, takes a step up with her appointment as director. She will manage the federal priorities of all city agencies. Price’s appointment was announced on July 15, 2022.

Director of rodent mitigation: Kathleen Corradi

Corradi may be the first citywide director of rodent mitigation, but she’s far better known as the “rat czar.” Following a lengthy, competitive search, a triumphant Adams announced her appointment on April 12, 2023. Corradi will bring her experience as a land use expert and her time spearheading the DOE’s rat reduction efforts to the job. 

Economic Development Corporation president: Andrew Kimball

Industry City CEO Andrew Kimball is now leading the New York City Economic Development Corp., where he’ll aim to carry out Adams’ “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent” blueprint for economic development. Before leading Industry City, Kimball served as CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., another major economic development project in the city.

Health + Hospitals president and CEO: Mitchell Katz

Mitchell Katz has been leading the city’s public hospital system since 2017. Adams renominated him to stay in the position and the H+H board approved it on March 31, 2022. Before coming to New York, Katz served as director of the Los Angeles County Health Agency. He is also a practicing primary care physician.

Housing Development Corporation president: Eric Enderlin

Enderlin has led the country’s largest municipal housing finance agency since 2016, and will be staying on under Mayor Adams. Before that, Enderlin worked at HPD and NYCHA.  

Citywide lead compliance officer: Jasmine Blake

Adams announced April  25, 2023 that Blake would be appointed as the city’s lead paint czar where she’d be the city’s point-person in its ongoing efforts to strip both public and private buildings of lead paint. Blake is currently Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz’s chief of staff – a role she is expected to continue in, according to the Daily News. She’s also a former press aid for NYCHA.

Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare director: Alexandra Silver

Alexandra Silver was tapped to lead the office, which was created in 2019. Silver previously served as community outreach & engagement manager at Animal Care Centers of NYC. Silver’s appointment was announced on July 15, 2022.

Mayor’s Office of Appointments director: Lisa Lashley

Lashley most recently worked in community engagement for the New York City Council. She has served as counsel in the state Senate, a trial attorney for the New York City Transit Authority and an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn. 

Mayor’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management executive director: Dawn Tolson

Previously the executive director of Gracie Mansion, Dawn Tolson will move to a role permitting events big and small across the city. Tolson will also lead the Street Activity Permit Office, where she previously served as the executive director for four years under Bill de Blasio. Her appointment was announced Sept. 2, 2022.

Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit commissioner: Fred Kreizman

A longtime veteran of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Fred Kreizman will now head up the office himself. Kreizman is returning to city government now after working at Capalino as managing director.

Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City executive director: Marcella Tillett

Tillet joins the mayor’s nonprofit from the mayor’s borough, where she was vice president of programs and partnerships at the Brooklyn Community Foundation. Before that, she held various roles at Planned Parenthood of New York City, and The Osborne Association. Her appointment was announced on Oct. 21, 2022.

Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice executive director: Kizzy Charles-Guzman

Charles-Guzman has more than a decade of experience working on environmental policy under both Mayors Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg. Most recently, she served as deputy director at the Mayor’s Office of Resiliency, where she helped implement the “Cool Neighborhoods NYC” initiative aimed at tackling climate change in communities that are vulnerable to extreme heat.

Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health director: Eva Wong

Adams tapped Eva Wong, coming from the Center for Early Childhood Health and Development at NYU Langone Health, to lead his Office of Community Mental Health, a relatively newly codified office with a wide-ranging mandate to help reduce substance misuse and close gaps in access to mental health care, among other things. Wong previously led programs and engagement at University Settlement, a nonprofit delivering social services to low-income New Yorkers. Her appointment was announced on July 11th, 2022.

Mayor’s Office of Contract Services director: Lisa Flores

Longtime city government veteran Lisa Flores will lead the Mayor’s Office for Contract Services, New York City’s procurement office. Flores recently served as deputy comptroller for contracts and procurement and will be returning to MOCS, where she previously served as deputy director.

Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice director: Deanna Logan

Previously general counsel and deputy director in the office, Logan will now be leading the MOCJ. Before she joined the mayor’s office in 2019, Logan supervised the Rikers Island Prosecution Bureau in the Bronx District Attorney’s office. She has also worked in the Department of Correction, the Manhattan DA’s office and the New York Stock Exchange. 

Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media executive director: José Bayona

Bayona will be the first one to lead this newly created office, though he previously held a similar role under Bill de Blasio, as director of community and ethnic media and deputy press secretary in the mayor’s office. Bayona was a spokesperson on Adams’ mayoral campaign, and before entering government, was a journalist at the Daily News, NY1 and El Diario.

Mayor’s Office of Equity commissioner: Sideya Sherman

Sideya Sherman was previously the executive director of the city Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity as well as executive vice president for community engagement and partnerships at the New York City Housing Authority. Before that, she was a project director and senior planner for the Municipal Art Society of New York. She will lead the newly created office, which oversees the Commission on Gender Equity, the Pay Equity Cabinet and other initiatives. The appointment was announced May 3, 2022.

Mayor’s Office of Food Policy executive director: Kate Mackenzie

One of the biggest differences between Adams and de Blasio may be their diets – but that didn’t stop Adams from reappointing Mackenzie to the role on Oct. 7, 2022. She first got the job in October 2019. Before that, she worked at City Harvest.

Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs commissioner: Manny Castro

Castro is coming from outside government as the executive director of Queens nonprofit New Immigrant Community Empowerment. Before that, Castro was an organizer with the New York Immigration Coalition.

Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs assistant commissioner: Erick Salgado

Adams’ decision to hire the Brooklyn pastor, despite his long track record of anti-gay and pro-life views, drew calls for the mayor to walk back the appointment. Salgado is one of two new appointees with a history of anti-gay sentiments (see Fernando Cabrera). Salgado said in a statement that he has “evolved” and vowed to lift up “LGBTQ+ immigrants.”

Mayor’s Office of Innovation and Emerging Markets executive director: Jonathan Salomons:

Though not officially announced publicly, the administration has referred to Jonathan Salomons as executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Innovation and Emerging Markets. One project apparently under that portfolio is the administration’s new direct-to-citizen e-mail newsletter which announces new programs and achievements by the administration.

Mayor’s Office for International Affairs commissioner: Edward Mermelstein

Luxury real estate attorney Edward Mermelstein will head up the city office tasked with international diplomacy. Mermelstein donated to Adams’ campaign but is a Republican and has worked with another New York real estate figure, former President Donald Trump.

Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment commissioner: Anne del Castillo

Leading the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment since 2019, Adams asked Anne del Castillo to stay on as commissioner. She joined the agency in 2014 and previously served as COO and general counsel, among other positions. She was previously a vice president at nonprofit media organization American Documentary. Her reappointment was announced Feb. 23, 2022.

Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises chief business diversity officer: Michael Garner

Michael Garner is the first person to hold this position, after building up quite a reputation for deal making as the Metropolitan Transit Authority chief diversity and inclusion officer. He’s also civically active as president of the founding chapter of One Hundred Black Men of New York City. The appointment was announced Feb. 16, 2023.

Mayor's Office of Nonprofit Services executive director: Karen Ford

Ford was most recently COO of homeless services organization HELP USA. Before that, she was deputy commissioner of family services in the Department of Homeless Services – decades after working on the city’s street outreach team early in her career. Ford’s appointment was announced Dec. 27, 2022.

Mayor’s Office of Operations director: Dan Steinberg

The mayor’s governmental operations office will be led by Dan Steinberg, who comes with experience in management and analytics. Steinberg previously served as chief of data analytics for the NYC Vaccine Command Center.

Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities commissioner: Christina Curry

Christina Curry, the longtime executive director of the Harlem Independent Living Center and a veteran of various boards and committees serving disabled and Deaf communities, is now leading Adams’ Office for People with Disabilities. Curry’s appointment was announced on July 26, 2022.

Mayor’s Office of Policy and Planning director: Sherif Soliman

Most recently Bill de Blasio’s finance commissioner, Soliman moved to a new role under Adams. He’d previously served as a top aide to deputy mayors in the de Blasio administration and as director of state legislative affairs.

Mayor’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes executive director: Hassan Naveed

Naveed has worked with the office since the end of 2019, and was previously serving as acting executive director. He was previously the outreach director at DOI’s office of inspector general for the NYPD and before that, chaired the DC Anti-Violence Project. His appointment was announced Oct. 19, 2022.  

Mayor’s Office of Risk Management and Compliance director: Marjorie Landa

Marjorie Landa will be the first to lead the Mayor’s Office of Risk Management and Compliance, an office Adams is creating to reduce fraud and waste across city agencies, starting with the budgets of the Department of Education, the Department of Correction and the New York City Housing Authority. Landa comes from the city comptroller’s office too, where she served as deputy comptroller for audits and investigations.

Mayor's Office of Special Projects and Community Events executive director: Trey Moynihan

Trey Moynihan will lead the office in charge of all the cultural receptions at Gracie Mansion, and more. For nearly two decades before, she managed events at the National Museum of the American Indian in Manhattan. Her appointment was announced Sept. 2, 2022.

Mayor's Office of Sports, Wellness, and Recreation director: Jasmine Ray

A wallball booster, Ray founded Wallball World LLC and the U.S. Wallball Association Inc. to spread the sport. Ray, who is Latina, is also the former executive director of Cornerstone Daycare in Brooklyn and an executive board member of the Black and Minority Chamber of Commerce. She’s also a former hip hop artist with the Most Valuable Playas and a fourth degree black belt in Shotokan Karate. Her appointment was announced Dec. 27, 2022. 

Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture director: Qiana Mickie

Think community gardens, rooftop farms and hydroponics labs in schools – all topics Adams has focused on. Qiana Mickie, founding principal of QJM Multiprise and former executive director of Just Food, will lead the newly created office. Her appointment was announced on Sept. 23, 2022.

NYC & Company president and CEO: Fred Dixon

Dixon started leading the city’s tourism arm at the beginning of the de Blasio administration and will stay on under Adams. He’s been with NYC & Company since 2005, and before that worked in a similar role in Nashville.

New York City sheriff: Anthony Miranda

Anthony Miranda allied with Adams in the early 2000s, when he led an organization for Latino NYPD officers while Adams led an organization for Black officers. A retired NYPD officer and co-founder of the National Latino Officers Association, Miranda also previously served as chief of police and director of security for the New York City Administration for Children’s Services. Miranda also ran and lost in the 2020 Democratic primary for Queens borough president and the 2021 Democratic primary for City Council District 20. His appointment was announced on May 3, 2022.

Office of Faith Based and Community Partnerships director: Gilford Monrose

Monrose is the lead pastor at Mt. Zion Church of God Seventh Day in East Flatbush, and was previously Adams’ faith director in the borough president’s office. This newly created office is housed within the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit.

Office of Faith Based and Community Partnerships senior adviser: Fernando Cabrera

LGBTQ advocates were outraged when reports emerged that Cabrera – who as a council member made headlines in 2014 when he expressed support for Uganda’s anti-gay and anti-abortion practices – was being considered to lead the mayor’s Office of Community Health. In appointing Cabrera, a pastor, Adams referenced an apology Cabrera made on Facebook and said he has “heard and accepted” it. Cabrera is the second pastor appointed by Adams who has a history of anti-gay and anti-abortion views (see Erick Salgado).

Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings commissioner and chief administrative law judge: Asim Rehman

Previously the deputy commissioner for legal matters and general counsel at the Department of Correction, Asim Rehman is moving over to the city’s administrative law court, where he’ll report to Chief Counsel to the Mayor Brendan McGuire. Rehman has also served in the Law Department and the office of the inspector general of the NYPD. Announced March 29, 2022, he is the first Muslim and South Asian American to lead the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.

Office of Labor Relations commissioner: Renee Campion

The mayor reappointed Campion as commissioner, a position in which she’s served since 2019, when she became the first woman to lead the office. Campion has been with OLR for the last 20 years and before that, worked at a union, Doctors Council SEIU. 

Office of Management and Budget director: Jacques Jiha

Adams asked Jiha to remain in the role he’s held since October 2020. Before that, he served as Bill de Blasio’s finance commissioner.

Public Design Commission executive director: Sreoshy Banerjea 

Sreoshy Banerjea is a former vice president of urban design for NYCEDC, prior to her public service she worked as an architectural associate with Rafael Vinoly and Dattner Architects. Banjera will report to Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. Her appointment was announced June 10, 2022. 

Rent Guidelines Board chair: Nestor Davidson

Davidson, an expert in affordable housing and land use law, was appointed to lead the nine-member board in March, 2023.  He is a professor of housing and land use at Fordham University School of Law.

Taxi and Limousine Commission chair: David Do

David Do previously led the equivalent agency in Washington, D.C.’s city government, as the director of the Department of For-Hire Vehicles. Before that, he was director of the D.C. Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs. Do’s nomination was announced on April 28, 2022 and Do was confirmed by the City Council a month later.

Former administration officials

Former Department of Social Services Commissioner Gary Jenkins

Just over a year after his appointment, Gary Jenkins announced on Feb. 7, 2023 that he would step down as DSS commissioner, where he oversaw the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services. Jenkins’ departure comes as the city dealt with an influx of asylum-seekers, a record high homeless population, and as Jenkins himself faces an investigation into an alleged cover-up of the city’s right-to-shelter law. 

Former Department of Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich:

Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich resigned on Nov. 3, 2022, following the Manhattan district attorney’s office questioning him in connection with an illegal gambling investigation.

Former chief of staff to the mayor: Frank Carone

Frank Carone, a giant in Brooklyn politics and close adviser to Adams through the campaign, departed as chief of staff before the end of 2022 to lead a consulting firm. Carone, a lawyer, has developed a reputation as a political power broker, and became a go-to fixer in City Hall. His appointment was officially announced Jan. 5, 2022. The Times reported on Sept. 19, 2022 that Carone planned to step down at the end of the year. He was replaced as chief of staff by attorney Camille Joseph Varlack.

Former First Deputy Mayor Lorraine Grillo

Grillo has been in city government for nearly three decades, starting at the School Construction Authority in 1993, the agency where she was appointed president by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2010. For a while, she served as commissioner of the city Department of Design and Construction at the same time, before Bill de Blasio named her pandemic recovery czar earlier this year. Her appointment was announced on Dec. 20, 2021. She announced her decision to retire from the position Nov. 18, 2022.

Former chief of staff to the first deputy mayor: Jeff Rodus

Before departing from his role as Grillo’s chief of staff, Rodus was a lobbyist at CMW Strategies, where he represented clients such as the Brooklyn Museum and the Building Trades Employers Association. Before that, he was a top City Council staffer under Speakers Christine Quinn and Melissa Mark-Viverito. He now serves as vice chancellor for government affairs at the City University of New York.