Mayor Mamdani Names New Commissioners to Lead Key New York City Agencies

Mayor Announces Leadership Changes Across New York City Government

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced five new appointments to lead core agencies across New York City government. The mayor stated that these leadership changes are intended to advance his administration's vision for a safer and more affordable New York City.

Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Appointed

Mayor Mamdani appointed Dr. Alister Martin as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). In this role, Dr. Martin will help oversee the city's public health apparatus, monitor and manage disease outbreaks, and advance the administration's stated vision for a city where every New Yorker can find affordable, accessible, world-class healthcare.

Dr. Martin is an Emergency Room physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. He leads "A Healthier Democracy," a nonprofit healthcare organizing incubator based at Northeastern University's Burnes Center for Social Change. He previously served as an advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris and as a Fellow in the White House Office of Public Engagement. He founded Vot-ER, a nonpartisan nonprofit working to integrate civic engagement into healthcare.

Dr. Martin earned an M.D. from Harvard Medical School as a Presidential Scholar, an M.P.P. from the Harvard Kennedy School as a fellow in the Center for Public Leadership, and graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University. His organizations have trained over 80,000 clinicians, reached millions of patients, disbursed $5.5 million in benefits, and partnered with more than 1,700 hospitals across all 50 states.

First Formerly Incarcerated Commissioner to Lead Department of Correction

Mayor Mamdani appointed Stanley Richards as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction (DOC). Richards is the first formerly incarcerated individual to serve as Commissioner of DOC and the first formerly incarcerated person to lead the agency in New York City history.

Richards is a formerly incarcerated man of color with decades of experience in the criminal justice field. He previously served as Executive Vice President of the Fortune Society, where he worked to help individuals reenter society from jail and promoted alternatives to incarceration. He first joined the Fortune Society in 1991 as a Re-Entry Counselor and advanced through the organization over time.

Richards has been recognized by the Obama Administration as a Champion for Change for his work supporting individuals impacted by the justice system. He has also served as First Deputy Commissioner for DOC, becoming the first formerly incarcerated individual to hold a high-level position at the department, and he was the first formerly incarcerated person appointed to the New York City Board of Correction, where he led the Working Group to End Punitive Segregation. He received an A.A. from Medaille University and a B.A. and M.P.H. from Hunter College.

As Commissioner, Richards will lead DOC with a mandate to improve conditions in the city’s jail system. Working with the remediation manager, he will focus on improving safety, closing Rikers Island, and ensuring the department fulfills its responsibility to care for people in custody and support the staff who serve them.

New Commissioner for Youth and Community Development

Mayor Mamdani selected Sandra Escamilla-Davies as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). Escamilla-Davies has more than 25 years of service as a social worker and executive leader.

Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President of Children's Aid, overseeing community schools and center-based programs and leading initiatives to reduce chronic absenteeism, expand college and career access, strengthen culturally responsive services, and advance operational, fiscal, and talent strategies. She spent 15 years with the Youth Development Institute, where she worked with key city agencies to embed youth development principles into policy and practice. She holds an M.S.W. from Columbia University and a B.A. in sociology from Hunter College.

As head of DYCD, Escamilla-Davies will help bolster the city's afterschool programming, the Summer Youth Employment Program, runaway and homeless youth programming, and other youth and community initiatives. She will support community-based organizations and work to advance the administration's vision for a city where young people, families, and communities can flourish.

Veterans' Services Commissioner Named

Mayor Mamdani appointed Yesenia Mata as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Veterans' Services (DVS), making her the first Latina to serve in that role. Mata is an advocate for immigrants and veterans and most recently served as Executive Director of La Colmena, an immigration and day labor rights organization. She also serves as a Military Police Sergeant in the U.S. Army.

Mata represents Staten Island on the New York City Racial Justice Commission. She has worked as the National Latino Outreach Strategist for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign, organizing Latino communities in multiple states, and served as Political Director for the Dream Action Coalition, a national organization advocating for immigration reform. She has been recognized by City & State as among the top 100 in Labor and top 100 Staten Islanders, and by the New York State Hispanic Coalition as a "40 under 40 Rising Star." She earned an A.A. in Legal Assistant and Paralegal work, a B.A. in Business Administration, and an M.B.A. in Human Resources from Robert Morris University.

At DVS, Mata will work to connect New York City's veterans to housing, health care, entrepreneurship, and supportive services, and to ensure that those who served in the Armed Forces can continue to live in the city as veterans.

New Leadership for Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings

Mayor Mamdani appointed Vilda Vera Mayuga as Commissioner of the New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). Mayuga most recently served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, where she secured approximately $2 billion for New Yorkers.

Her prior roles include Deputy Secretary for Economic Opportunity at the New York State Department of State, Deputy Commissioner for Worker Protection at the New York State Department of Labor, and Chair of the New York State Industrial Board of Appeals, where she was the first Latina to hold that position. She also served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau of the Office of the New York Attorney General, managing a caseload of civil rights cases and handling all stages of litigation.

Mayuga graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in International Relations from Boston University and received a law degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law in Rio Piedras. She is a member of the New York Bar. As OATH Commissioner, she will oversee the city's central, independent administrative law court and ensure that justice is administered fairly and transparently for New Yorkers appearing before the tribunal.