Mayor Eric Adams has served the people of New York City as an NYPD officer, State Senator, Brooklyn Borough President, and now as the 110th Mayor of the City of New York. He gave voice to a diverse coalition of working families in all five boroughs and is leading the fight to bring back New York City’s economy, reduce inequality, improve public safety, and build a stronger, healthier city that delivers for all New Yorkers.
Like so many New Yorkers, Mayor-Elect Eric Adams grew up with adversity—and overcame it.

As one of six children, born in Brownsville and raised in South Jamaica by a single mom who cleaned houses, Eric and his family did not always know if they would come home to an eviction notice on the front door or food on the table. And when he was beaten by police in the basement of a precinct house at 15, Eric faced a life-changing act of injustice.

But instead of giving into anger, Eric turned his pain into purpose and decided to change the police department from within. He joined the NYPD and became one of its most outspoken officers, calling out racism and bias in the department and pushing for major reforms.

As a founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, Eric would often police the streets in a bulletproof vest one day during the high-crime 1980’s and 1990’s and protest bad behavior by cops the next, marching side-by-side with his fellow civil rights advocates. He rose to the rank of captain, helping to build the first computerized system for tracking crime in the city, which led to historic gains in public safety.

Eric’s efforts to change policing began his lifelong work to improve and protect New York. From the NYPD, he moved on to the State Senate, where he represented sections of central and Brownstone Brooklyn. In Albany, Eric built winning coalitions to advance New York City’s values and goals, helping to push through measures to protect tenants and workers, combat gun violence, end the NYPD’s abuses of stop and frisk, and advance human rights — including marriage equality. He also became the first person of color to chair the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee.

Eric was then elected Brooklyn Borough President in 2013 by putting together a diverse coalition of Brooklynites to become the borough’s first Black leader. As the representative of one of the nation’s largest counties, Eric fought tirelessly to grow the local economy, invest in schools, reduce inequality, improve public safety, and advocate for smart policies and better government that delivers for all New Yorkers.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the city, Eric moved a mattress into his office and worked around the clock to deliver donated meals and PPE to essential workers and vulnerable New Yorkers, demanding government produce more equitable relief.

In addition to continuing to fight for struggling New Yorkers and a better quality of life for all, Eric became a national leader on public health policy after learning he had developed Type 2 diabetes. Following his diagnosis, Eric completely changed his diet and his body, reversing the disease and launching a personal mission to educate New Yorkers about preventative care and wellness. His work has already led to successful proactive public health efforts across the city and increased education in schools and with high-risk populations in lower-income areas, partnering with civic organizations and health experts.

Eric is a lifelong New Yorker. He received his master’s degree in public administration from Marist College, and is a graduate of New York City Technical College and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is also a proud product of New York City public schools, including Bayside High School in Queens. Today he lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where he has resided for over 20 years. Eric is the proud father of Jordan, an aspiring filmmaker and graduate of American University.

NEW YORK—Today, Mayor Eric Adams announced members of his senior staff who will oversee operations at City Hall and advance his strategic policies and priorities.

“This team has the experience, knowledge, and skill to take our government — and our city — to new heights,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “Our motto is Get Stuff Done — and we are already off to a flying start. Together, we will work day in and day out to make New York City safer, more equitable, and more prosperous for all.”

“We are at a pivotal moment in our city’s history, and we need strong leadership to bring New York back better than ever,” said Chief of Staff Frank Carone. “Mayor Adams has already proved himself in the early days of his administration to be exactly that kind of leader. I am honored to join his team and serve the city that I love. As chief of staff, I will be focused on ensuring City Hall runs smoothly, keeping our City agencies aligned, and delivering on the mayor’s vision for the city.”

The full list of appointees are below:

Frank Carone, Chief of Staff
Frank Carone will join the Adams administration as chief of staff. Most recently, he was a partner at Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone, LLP. He also served as law secretary for the Kings County Democratic Committee. Carone earned a B.S. from St. John’s University and a JD from Brooklyn Law School.

Dawn Miller, First Deputy Chief of Staff
Dawn Miller will join the Adams administration as first deputy chief of staff. Most recently, she was Vice President for Policy and Partnerships at Coord, a mobility technology company partnering with cities across the country. She previously served as chief of staff at the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC). Dawn launched TLC’s Research and Evaluation practice, serving as its first director, and worked as a researcher at the Urban Institute in Washington, DC. She has a M.P.A. from Princeton University and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Madeline Labadie, Deputy Chief of Staff
Madeline Labadie will join the Adams administration as a deputy chief of staff. Most recently, she served as the director of strategic initiatives at TLC, where she led Vision Zero efforts and priority projects for the commissioner. She has also worked in policy and research roles for the Hotel Trades Council and Council Member Brad Lander. She holds a M.P.A. and a B.A. from New York University.

Ryan Lynch, Deputy Chief of Staff
Ryan Lynch will join the Adams administration as a deputy chief of staff. Before joining the Adams administration, he served as chief of staff for then-Borough President Adams, and prior to that as policy director. Lynch began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Burkina Faso, and has also served as an Alternative Livelihoods Officer for WEAVE, a small, community-based organization working to support economic empowerment for Burmese refugees along the Thai-Burma border. He served as the associate director for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. Lynch earned a B.S. in psychology from Mary Washington College, and his M.S. in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Menashe Shapiro, Deputy Chief of Staff
Menashe Shapiro will join the Adams administration as a deputy chief of staff. Most recently, he ran his own consulting firm where he advised candidates for public office as well as companies and non-profits waging large public-facing campaigns. In 2021, Shapiro was a key advisor to Mayor Adams’ campaign and a member of the appointments committee on his mayoral transition. Prior to that, he worked on Michael Bloomberg’s presidential and mayoral campaigns, as a managing director at Tusk Strategies, and in private law practice. Shapiro earned his B.A. cum laude ineconomics from Yeshiva University and his J.D. from Cardozo Law School of Yeshiva University.

Tiffany Raspberry, Senior Advisor for External Affairs
Tiffany Raspberry is joining the Adams administration as senior advisor for external affairs, where she will be the key liaison between the mayor and key stakeholders and leaders both nationally and globally. She started her career working at the House of Representatives as a legislative assistant and scheduler, and later as a policy analyst and chief of staff at the New York City Council. Most recently, Raspberry was a senior team member of Mayor Adams’ campaign and co-led the intergovernmental committee on his mayoral transition. She earned her B.A in political science and African-American studies from Fordham University and a M.P.A in global public policy and management jointly from New York University and the University College of London.

Stefan Ringel, Senior Advisor to the Mayor
Stefan Ringel is joining the Adams administration as senior advisor to the mayor. He served in the same capacity to Borough President Adams and was a key advisor on media and communication to Eric Adams campaign for Mayor. Previously, he served in the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office in various capacities, first as communications director for former Borough President Marty Markowitz, and subsequently as then-Borough President Adams’ communications director. Prior to that, Ringel was media relations director to then-Council Member Jumaane Williams. Ringel earned his BA in political science and international studies from the University of North Carolina, and his MA in Elections and Campaign Management from Fordham University.

Andrea Shapiro Davis, Senior Advisor and Director of Public Service Engagement
Andrea Shapiro Davis will join the Adams administration as senior advisor and director of public service engagement. She had been serving as CUNY’s interim vice chancellor for university advancement since August 2019. Since 2013, she has served as CUNY’s associate vice chancellor for Corporate, Foundation and Major Gift Development, a role in which she has spurred the growth of initiatives for women’s rights and diversity. Davis also served in the administration of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in which she served as special adviser to the mayor, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Appointments, and executive director of the NYC Commission on Women’s Issues. She also spent four years as an assistant district attorney in Queens County and was an attorney in private practice. Davis is a proud graduate of Queens College and Hofstra University School of Law.

Eric Ulrich, Senior Advisor to the Mayor
Eric Ulrich joins the Adams administration as senior advisor to the mayor. He served as a member of the New York City Council for 12 years, representing the diverse communities of southwest Queens. He was instrumental in passing legislation that established the New York City Department of Veterans Services (DVS), and following Superstorm Sandy he organized relief efforts that helped displaced residents rebuild and recover. He is the product of New York City public and parochial schools, and is the first member of his family to earn a college degree. Ulrich earned his B.A. from St. Francis College and his M.P.A. at Baruch College School of Public Affairs.

Edward Mermelstein, Commissioner, Mayor’s Office of International Affairs
Edward Mermelstein joins the Adams administration as the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs. He joins the administration after as career as an attorney and an investment advisor with a broad range of international clients. Fluent in English and Russian, Mermelstein emigrated as a refugee to the United States in 1976. He holds a B.A. from NYU and a J.D. from Western Michigan Law School. In addition to his work, he is involved in numerous charitable organizations supporting local as well as national causes rooted in culture, politics, education, and the arts.

Fred Kreizman, Commissioner, Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit
Fred Kreizman will join the Adams administration as commissioner of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit (CAU). From 2002 to 2014, Kreizman worked at CAU serving Mayor Bloomberg, rising through the ranks from Brooklyn director to deputy commissioner. He also served on the board of directors of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation from 2005 to 2016. Recently, he worked at Capalino, serving as a managing director. Kreizman earned an M.P.A in government from Pace University, and a B.S. from Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business.

Roberto Perez, Director for Intergovernmental Affairs
Roberto Perez is joining the Adams administration as director of intergovernmental affairs (IGA). Most recently, he served in the de Blasio administration as commissioner of CAU, where led efforts to connect communities with the City’s COVID -19 recovery efforts. Prior to that role, Perez was senior executive director of intergovernmental affairs at the New York City Department of Education (DOE) where he managed city, state, and federal legislative affairs on behalf of the chancellor.

Dan Steinberg, Director, Mayor’s Office of Operations
Dan Steinberg will join the Adams administration as director of the Mayor’s Office of Operations. Steinberg is an urban planner with degrees from the University of Chicago and Columbia University. He recently served as Chief of Data Analytics for the NYC Vaccine Command Center (winner of the Citizen’s Budget Commission Prize for Public Service Excellence), and played a number of instrumental roles throughout the City’s pandemic response. He previously served as the deputy director of project and performance management at the Mayor’s Office of Operations. Steinberg originally began his career as State Senator Liz Krueger’s first legislative aide, and also worked as a researcher and advocate.

Rachel Atcheson, Special Assistant to the Mayor
Rachel Atcheson will join the Adams administration as senior assistant to the mayor, and will also be the at-large director of the SUNY Downstate Committee on Plant-Based Health and Nutrition. She most recently worked as deputy strategist for Borough President Adams, working on plant-forward nutrition initiatives such as launching NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue’s Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program, and expanding healthy and sustainable food options in New York City schools. Previously, Atcheson served in the Office of the Mayor as the animal welfare liaison. Outside of government, she was senior campus outreach director for The Humane League, growing the organization’s campus outreach program from 18 to 52 campuses. She received a B.A. from Boston University.

CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Amy Crawford will serve as First Assistant to the City of Chicago’s Corporation Counsel. Crawford will work with Acting Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry who was appointed in June by the mayor as the City’s chief lawyer.

“Amy’s extensive legal experience gained both in the private and public sectors will greatly benefit the City,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “I’m committed to our government upholding the highest standards of ethics and transparency while safeguarding public resources, and Amy shares those values.”

“I am excited to welcome Amy to the team,” said Acting Corporation Counsel Richardson-Lowry. “She brings with her a deep understanding of the law and a level of expertise that will greatly complement our department.”

“It is a tremendous honor to work for the City of Chicago and to use the experience I’ve gained as a prosecutor in this new role,” said Crawford. “I’ve dedicated my entire career to upholding justice and serving the community and I look forward to applying that same passion to the important work done on behalf of the City.”

Crawford is an accomplished litigator having served as the Deputy Chief of the Civil Action Bureau for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and as the Deputy Director for the Cook County Department of Human Rights and Ethics. Prior to her work in the public sector, Crawford was with the law firm Kirkland & Ellis as a litigation partner.

Crawford holds a juris doctor degree from University of Chicago Law School and a bachelor’s degree in economics and government from the University of Notre Dame.

Crawford will join the Law Department on July 17.

CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson announced that Beatriz Ponce de León will serve as the City of Chicago’s first-ever Deputy Mayor of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights.

“Beatriz is an excellent addition to our team, and I am looking forward to working with her to provide these vital and culturally vibrant communities the resources they need to thrive in our city,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “Together, we will ensure that Chicago embraces immigrants and asylum seekers, remains a safe, welcoming home to all, and that anyone seeking sanctuary in our city can have a prosperous life and future.”

“From the founding of our city, immigrants have been at the heart of making Chicago the city that works,” said Beatriz Ponce de León. “As the daughter of immigrants and a lifelong Chicagoan, it is a distinct honor to serve in this first-ever role. I thank Mayor Johnson for having the vision and valor to create this position so we can better serve our immigrant, migrant and refugee communities so that they can contribute to the life and vitality our city by raising their families and being a productive member of their communities.”

Ponce de León brings to the role a breadth of expertise on a wide range of issues including immigrant rights and integration, education equity, bilingual education and language diversity, adolescent rights, health care access, voter engagement, and community development.

Most recently, Ponce de León worked for the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) where she held several roles, including Assistant Director of the Division of Family and Community Services, Chief of Staff for the Division of Mental Health, and Healing Illinois Project Manager.

At IDHS she was instrumental in developing and launching new projects, building staff capacity and leadership, leading strategic planning and organizational development, and assisting with the State’s asylum seeker support efforts.

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York State Attorney General Letitia James and Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Peter A. Hatch today reached settlement agreements to resolve their joint investigation into workplace violations by Intergen Health, LLC and Amazing Home Care Services, LLC. Amazing and Intergen—which are under common ownership, share employees, and serve primarily Medicaid patients—are together one of the largest home care agencies in New York State. The settlements resolve violations of the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law and wage and hour requirements under New York Labor Laws and require the home health agencies to pay up to $18.8 million in restitution and adopt extensive compliance measures.

The joint investigation found that the home care agencies violated the City ’s Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law in multiple ways, including failing to pay employees when they used leave, disciplining and/or firing employees who used unscheduled leave, requiring employees to submit documentation justifying the use of leave even if the leave was for less than three days, and failing to provide a written safe and sick leave policy. The investigation also found that the agencies violated the New York Labor Law by refusing to pay the overtime premium when workers worked more than 40 hours in a week, miscalculating overtime rates, refusing to pay workers for time spent traveling between patient homes, among other violations.

“In New York City, we fight to protect all workers—including those who work in people’s homes,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Home health care workers care for our families and not only deserve Paid Safe and Sick Leave—it’s their right. To any company in New York City that thinks they can get away with withholding workers’ rights and violating our laws: we will hold you accountable.”

“Home health aides provide vital support to our vulnerable loved ones,” said DCWP Commissioner Peter A. Hatch. “Sadly these invaluable workers often face exploitative working conditions that violate important labor protections. We are committed to ensuring home health aides are treated fairly and will hold accountable any home care agency that denies workers their rights or punishes them for exercising their rights. We urge any worker who believes they have been treated unjustly to contact us so we can help protect their rights. I want to thank Attorney General James and her Office for their partnership in this important investigation.”

“Home health aides are on the front lines serving the most vulnerable in our communities, yet these agencies denied them the most basic form of dignity and respect: fair pay for a hard day’s work,” said Attorney General James. “These hardworking New Yorkers not only deserve the pay that was unfairly denied to them, but also the assurance that this won’t happen again — and that’s exactly what this agreement will do. I will continue my commitment to protect working families and workers’ rights as well as their wallets. Let this be a warning to all employers: exploitative and illegal labor practices will not be tolerated in New York.”

Under the settlement, Intergen and Amazing must:

Pay up to $18,800,000 in restitution in two phases. In phase one, the agencies will pay $2,032,500 to compensate 6,500 employees impacted by the violations of the Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law and four employees who were illegally fired for using paid sick leave. The agencies will also pay $5,200,000 to compensate approximately 12,000 employees for violations of the New York Labor Law. In phase two, which is being resolved in coordination with a private lawsuit, there will be a maximum payout of approximately $11,540,000 to “live-in” workers; this amount is subject to court approval.
Implement new policies that are in compliance with the Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law and New York Labor Law and that correct the violations in the companies’ prior policies.
Stop requiring employees to submit documentation to justify their use of sick leave.
Train employees on updated policies.
Post and distribute the Notice of Employee Rights and obtain a written, dated acknowledgement of receipt from each employee.
Appoint a compliance officer to monitor and report on compliance with the laws.
Create a new employee manual with updated policies that must be submitted to the Attorney General and DCWP for approval and have it translated and distributed to all employees.

This case, which is DCWP ’s largest Paid Safe and Sick Leave investigation to date, is part of the agency ’s major proactive enforcement initiative to examine the home health care industry ’s compliance with the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, wage and hour requirements, and other workplace standards. DCWP referred this case to the New York State Attorney General’s Office for a joint investigation after identifying violations in connection with this initiative. As a result of this affirmative initiative, DCWP has now entered into settlement agreements with 34 agencies. These settlements require the agencies to pay a total of $2.54 million in restitution to more than 11,000 workers, pay $155,000 in civil penalties, and comply with the Law going forward.

DCWP ’s case was handled by Supervising Investigator Juana Abreu, Paid Care Advocate Amalia Torrentes, Research Director Sam Krinsky, and Director of Investigations Elizabeth Wagoner of DCWP ’s Office of Labor Policy & Standards, which is led by Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Holt.
Employers and employees can visit nyc.gov/workers or call 311 (212-NEW-YORK outside NYC) for more information about the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, including the required Notice of Employee of Rights in multiple languages, one-page overviews for employers and employees, and the complaint form. DCWP also created a multilingual publication that provides important health and safety information for domestic workers and their employers to help them stay safe during COVID-19—including recommended best practices to reduce and prepare for risk of transmission, paid safe and sick leave information, checklists for a healthy and safe workplace, and other City & State resources.
“Today’s settlement delivers a crucial victory for workers and a stern warning to employers, especially home health employers, who try to take advantage of their workers by denying them paid sick time and other key labor protections under New York City law,” said Sarah Brafman, Senior Policy Counsel at A Better Balance. “Our client and her co-workers worked day in and day out to provide care for those who needed it most, only for their employer to turn around and penalize them when they needed paid sick time to care for themselves or loved ones. We thank the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection for taking a stand against employers like Amazing Home Care who systematically deprived workers of their rights and for seeking to make workers whole. In New York City, home to some of the strongest labor laws in our nation, no worker should ever be forced to choose between their job and taking care of themselves or loved ones.”
“Home care workers provide the dedicated care and attention that allow our loved ones to receive the assistance they need in the comfort and convenience of their own homes,” said George Gresham, President of 1199SEIU. “These are heroes, who selflessly give of themselves to care for others, and denying them paid leave when they are sick is inhumane. We thank the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection for taking a stand by cracking down on unscrupulous home care agencies who pocket taxpayer dollars instead of giving workers the leave to which they are legally entitled.”

###
Media Contact

pressoffice@cityhall.nyc.gov
(212) 788-2958