City Hall

Adams Names 5 Women to NYC Deputy Mayor Roles

Mayor-elect Eric Adams named Lorraine Grillo, a fixture in city construction roles for decades, as first deputy mayor

NYC Mayor-elect Eric Adams unveiled a team of deputy mayors on Monday, appointing five women to some of the city's most important behind-the-scenes roles.

Adams' team said two of the new deputy mayors were the first of Asian descent in the city's history.

Topping the list as first deputy mayor is Lorraine Grillo, who has been Mayor Bill de Blasio's COVID "recovery czar," as well as the longtime CEO of the School Construction Authority and commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction. Grillo has worked for the city for more than two decades, and Adams will be the third straight mayor to appoint her to a senior role.

In addition to Grillo, Adams named Anne Williams-Isom as deputy mayor for Health and Human Services; Meera Joshi as deputy mayor for Operations; Maria Torres-Springer as deputy mayor for Economic and Workforce Development; and Sheena Wright as deputy mayor for Strategic Initiatives.

Joshi is a former Taxi and Limousine commissioner. Torres-Springer was previously Small Business Services commissioner. Williams-Isom was previously the No. 2 official at the Administration for Children's Services. Wright is the CEO of United Way of New York City.

Last week Adams named Keechant Sewell as the city's first female police commissioner.

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