Following his historic victory in the New York City mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani unveiled the team of experienced officials who will manage his transition to City Hall, giving an early indication of how he plans to implement his ambitious campaign agenda.
“In the coming months, my team and I will build a city hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign,” Democratic Socialist Mamdani said at his first news conference as mayor-elect, according to the AP.
“We will create an administration that is equally capable and compassionate, driven by integrity and willing to work as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home.”
Who is in the Mamdani Transition Team?
The transition team includes former Vice Mayors Maria Torres-Springer and Melanie Hartzog, former FTC Chair Lina Khan and United Way of New York City CEO Grace Bonilla.
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The group will be led by political strategist Elana Leopoldová as its executive director.
Who is Elena Leopold?
The team’s executive director will be Elena Leopold, a political strategist who worked for former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she is a strategic advisor and project leader who works with mission-driven organizations, campaigns and coalitions to turn vision into action.
Through his consulting, he supports clients in developing effective strategies, navigating the political and policy environment, and managing complex initiatives from start to finish.
The team’s executive director will be Elena Leopold, a political strategist who worked for former Mayor Bill de Blasio. (Photo: LinkedIn)
Her previous roles include Compliance Director and Fundraiser at New Yorkers for de Blasio (2011-2013), Deputy Director of the de Blasio Inaugural Committee during the Mayoral Transition (2014), Senior Assistant and Senior Counsel at the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs for the City of New York (2014-2016), and Chief Financial Officer until January 2017.
She co-founded The Broad Room (until 2021), served as Founding Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Seneca Strategies (2018-2022), and was Senior Vice President of Government Relations at Moonshot Strategies (until August 2024).
She is currently the founder and president of Leopold Impact Advisory.
Who is Maria Torres-Springer?
leadership roles in York City government and the philanthropic sector.
According to her LinkedIn profile and other publicly available sources, Maria Torres‑Springer holds a bachelor’s degree in ethics, politics and economics from Yale University and a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.
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She served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services, where she championed efforts to raise wages, support women- and immigrant-owned businesses, and build workforce pathways.
Maria Torres-Springer, co-chair of the transition, during a news conference with Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayor-elect (not pictured) at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the borough of Queens, New York on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. Mamdani was elected the 111th mayor of New York City on Tuesday in a historic victory that will serve the Socialist Global Finance Authority. Photographer: Adam Gray/Bloomberg
She then became president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, leading major neighborhood revitalization initiatives and establishing citywide ferry service.
She was later appointed commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
She was recently appointed Deputy Mayor of New York City for Housing, Economic Development and the Workforce.
Who is Melanie Hartzog?
Melanie Hartzog is president and CEO of The New York Foundling.
Before joining The Foundling, she served as New York City’s Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, overseeing the city’s social service agencies, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She also held the role of Director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, managing the largest municipal budget in the country and funding all city programs and services.
Transition co-chair Melanie Hartzog speaks to members of the media during a news conference with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (not pictured) at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the borough of Queens, New York on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. Mamdani was elected Tuesday as the city’s 111th mayor, serving as New York City’s Democratic mayor who serves as New York City’s social welfare mayor. global finance. Photographer: Adam Gray/Bloomberg
Earlier in her career, Hartzog was the executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund, family services coordinator for the deputy mayor for health and social services, deputy commissioner of the Administration for Children’s Services, and headed the social services department within the mayor’s Office of Management and Budget.
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She also served as director of policy and advocacy for the Human Services Council in New York.
Hartzog earned a Master of Science from the Milan School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy at the New School and a BA from Eckerd College.
Who is Lina Khan?
Lina Khan is the former Chair of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), serving in this role following her confirmation by the US Senate in June 2021.
During her tenure, she focused on strengthening antitrust enforcement and consumer protection, particularly in the context of digital markets and modern platform economies.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 05: Transition Co-Chair Lina Khan speaks during a press conference at the Unisphere at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on November 5, 2025 in the borough of Queens, New York. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani scored a historic victory to become the city’s 111th mayor, defeating independent mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP)
Before leading the FTC, Khan was a lawyer and served as an associate professor of law at Columbia Law School. She was also legal director of the Open Markets Institute, counsel to the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Trade and Administrative Law, and legal counsel to FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra.
Khan earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
She is known for her expertise in antitrust law, competition policy and regulation of large digital platforms.
Who is Grace Bonilla?
Grace C. Bonilla is the President and CEO of United Way of New York City, a position she has held since July 2022, where she leads efforts to strengthen equity and support for low-income and underserved New Yorkers. She previously served as Senior Vice President for Latin America at Covenant House International, where she addressed child homelessness in many countries.
Grace Bonilla, president and CEO of United Way of New York City and part of New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team, attends a news conference at the Unisphere in the Queens borough of New York City, U.S., November 5, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
In New York City government, Bonilla led the city’s first Task Force on Racial Equity and Inclusion and served as Administrator of Human Resources, overseeing services for more than three million residents.
Previous roles included Deputy Commissioner for Community Affairs and Immigrant Services. Bonilla received her BA in Political Science from St. John’s University and a JD from Brooklyn Law School.
What are Zohran Mamdani’s goals?
Mamdani noted that officials will guide his transition as he moves from “campaign poetry” to “beautiful prose of governing,” playfully echoing a phrase famously used by the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, the father of one of his mayoral opponents, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Mamdani, who at 34 will be the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century, now faces the task of implementing his sweeping affordability agenda while taking charge of the nation’s largest police department, sanitation department and school system.
His campaign promises include free child care, free city bus service, city-run grocery stores and a new Department of Community Safety that would expand an existing city initiative that sends mental health workers, rather than police, to handle certain emergency calls.
In the coming months, my team and I will build a town hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign.
Although he positioned his election as a break from the political mold, his transition team includes familiar faces from the previous two mayors.
(With input from agencies)
Key things
- The appointment of an all-female transition team marks a move towards inclusive governance.
- Mamdani’s plans focus on free services and community safety and show a commitment to addressing social inequalities.
- The team’s diverse expertise will play a key role in delivering Mamdani’s progressive agenda.
