New leadership team signals push for digital equity, accessibility, senior support and government accountability in New York City
Our Bureau
New York, NY
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has unveiled a sweeping set of leadership appointments across New York City government, naming new commissioners to head the Office of Technology and Innovation, the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, and the Department for the Aging, while also nominating a former federal prosecutor to lead the Department of Investigation.
Announced at the SAGE Center Brooklyn at Stonewall House — a hub serving LGBTQ+ seniors — the appointments underscore what the administration describes as a dual focus: modernizing city services while strengthening protections for vulnerable New Yorkers.
At the center of the technology overhaul is Lisa Gelobter, who will serve as Chief Technology Officer and Commissioner of the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI). A veteran technologist and entrepreneur, Gelobter brings decades of experience spanning Silicon Valley, federal government and social impact ventures.
Gelobter most recently founded tEQuitable, a platform designed to help organizations address systemic workplace culture challenges. In the Obama administration, she served as Chief Digital Service Officer at the U.S. Department of Education, where she worked to improve access to government services, particularly for underserved communities. Her résumé also includes stints in media and technology, including roles connected to pioneering internet platforms such as Shockwave and Hulu.
As CTO, she will oversee the city’s technology infrastructure, cybersecurity systems and data management initiatives — responsibilities that touch nearly every agency. But her mandate, according to both her and the mayor, extends beyond technical upgrades.
“Technology impacts how people experience government every day — from accessing services to trusting that systems work fairly and responsibly,” Gelobter said. “My focus will be on using technology in service of the public good: improving delivery, strengthening accountability, and ensuring innovation reflects the needs of all New Yorkers.”
Mamdani described her appointment as a signal that digital equity and public-interest technology will be central to his administration. “Lisa Gelobter’s decades-long career … has been defined by her commitment to leveraging technology for the public good,” he said.
Supporters from across the tech and public policy sectors echoed that theme, citing her experience improving federal digital services and her willingness to confront inefficiencies and inequities in government systems.
Alongside the technology leadership change, Mamdani appointed Nisha Agarwal as Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD). A public interest attorney and longtime city official, Agarwal has worked at the intersection of immigration, health policy, civic engagement and disability justice.
Her previous roles include Executive Director for Policy and Communications at the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Division of Mental Hygiene, leadership positions at the International Refugee Assistance Project, and head of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs under the de Blasio administration. There, she helped launch IDNYC, the municipal identification card program, and co-founded Cities for Action, a national coalition of local elected officials advocating on immigration issues.
As MOPD commissioner, Agarwal will coordinate across agencies to ensure accessibility in housing, transportation, health services and civic participation. “All of the priorities that Mayor Mamdani supports are critical for people with disabilities,” Agarwal said, citing affordable housing, food access, health care, transportation and employment. “I will work with and on behalf of disabled New Yorkers to tackle these issues and ensure that people with disabilities are at the forefront.”
Mamdani framed her appointment as part of a broader accessibility agenda. “It’s not enough for New York City to be affordable for everyone — it must be accessible to everyone, too,” he said.
Disability rights advocates welcomed the move, pointing to Agarwal’s lived experience as a person with disabilities and her history of advocacy. Organizations including New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled praised her track record of working collaboratively with affected communities.
The third major appointment places Dr. Lisa Scott-McKenzie at the helm of the Department for the Aging (NYC Aging). A nearly four-decade veteran of New York City Health + Hospitals, Scott-McKenzie most recently served as Chief Operating Officer at H+H/Woodhull, where she oversaw major operational divisions and multimillion-dollar construction projects.
A Certified Emergency Manager, she has served as Incident Commander during crises ranging from the 2003 Northeastern blackout to Superstorm Sandy. She began her city career in 1986 in a clerical role and rose through the ranks — a trajectory that supporters say reflects deep institutional knowledge and commitment.
As commissioner, Scott-McKenzie will focus on ensuring older adults can access affordable housing, health care and essential services, while addressing food insecurity and social isolation. “Our seniors have earned the right to age gracefully with dignity and respect in the city that we love,” she said.
City Councilmember Lynn Schulman, chair of the Health Committee, described her as “smart, warm and kind,” adding that older New Yorkers would be “in good hands.” Advocacy groups such as LiveOn NY emphasized the urgency of strengthening housing and services as the city’s senior population grows.
In addition to the agency appointments, Mamdani nominated Nadia Shihata as Commissioner of the Department of Investigation (DOI), the city’s independent watchdog responsible for probing corruption, waste, fraud and abuse across municipal government. The nomination requires City Council confirmation.
Shihata served more than 11 years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, where she held senior leadership roles in organized crime and public integrity units. Her cases included the prosecution of R&B musician R. Kelly on racketeering charges and investigations into civil rights abuses involving correctional officers.
Shihata called the nomination “deeply honored,” emphasizing DOI’s role in ensuring city agencies operate “with integrity, accountability, and fairness for all New Yorkers.”
