New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Saturday announced a new crop of commissioners who will be at the helm of some of the city’s most vital departments.
One of the appointments is making city history.
Formerly incarcerated man to lead DOC
Stanley Richards will become the first formerly incarcerated individual to serve as commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction. He was incarcerated back in the 1980s.
Richards previously served as first deputy commissioner of the DOC and executive vice president of The Fortune Society, a nonprofit that provides assistance to formerly incarcerated individuals.
“This role represents the culmination of my lifelong commitment to criminal justice reform, drawing directly from my own experience of incarceration on Rikers, which fueled my decades of work at The Fortune Society and with the Department of Correction, helping thousands rebuild their lives through reentry programs, leadership roles, and advocacy,” Richards said in a statement, in part.
Mamdani said Richards’ experience will be vital to moving the agency forward.
“It is a testament to the thought and leadership he will bring to every member of Correction staff and incarcerated New Yorkers underneath his purview,” the mayor said.
The mayor’s office said Richards’ main focuses will be improving safety, closing Rikers Island and ensuring the DOC provides proper care to those in custody and support to its staff.
“The future of Rikers is not endless confinement, scapegoating or demonizing,” Richards said. “It is safety, transformation and rehabilitation.”
The troubled city agency has made headlines in recent years for violence, staff misconduct and in-custody deaths.
The new DOC commissioner appointment comes days after a federal judge appointed a former CIA officer to take control of Rikers Island as a remediation manager. Mamdani and Richards both said they look forward to working with him.
New DOH commissioner, others
The other appointments announced Saturday are:
- Dr. Alister Martin as Department of Health and Mental Hygiene commissioner,
- Yesenia Mata as Department of Veterans’ Services commissioner,
- Sandra Escamilla-Davies as Department of Youth and Community Development commissioner,
- And Vilda Vera Mayuga as Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings commissioner.
“New York City is built on the often unseen work of public servants who show up every day to care for our neighbors, support our young people, and make government work for the people who rely on it most. Today, we are entrusting five dedicated leaders with the responsibility to carry that work forward,” Mamdani said in a statement. “I hope New Yorkers see the impact of their leadership in young people growing into happy and healthy adults, in justice that is administered fairly across our city, and in a government that listens, responds, and treats every person with dignity.”
Martin is currently an emergency room physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. He previously served as an advisor to former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Mata is the first Latina to lead the Department of Veterans’ Services.