Zohran Mamdani is ready to lead in New York City, and the Mayor-elect has tapped an all-female team to help him as he transitions into City Hall.
Zohran Mamdani Announces All-Female Transition Team of Powerhouse Leaders
On Nov. 5, Mamdani announced that five women will serve on his transition team, a lineup of powerhouse leaders with experience across politics, finance, government, and social impact. The team includes two former deputy mayors, Maria Torres-Springer and Melanie Hartzog; former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan; Grace Bonilla, President and CEO of United Way of New York City; and political strategist Elana Leopold, who will serve as Executive Director of the transition team.
“In the coming months, I and my team will build a City Hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign,” Mamdani, 34, said at his first news conference as mayor-elect Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. “We will form an administration that is equal parts capable and compassionate, driven by integrity and willing to work just as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home.”
Mamdani said the officials would help guide his transition as he moves from the “poetry of campaigning” to the “beautiful prose of governing,” a nod to a phrase famously and notably used by former Gov. Mario Cuomo, the late father of Mamdani’s onetime rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, AP noted.
Here’s a closer look at the members of Mamdani’s transition team.
Lina Khan — Former Federal Trade Commission Chair
Lina Khan, who led the FTC under President Biden from June 2021 to January 2025, earned a reputation as a fierce enforcer of antitrust law, taking on corporate giants and pushing to lower prescription drug costs by targeting pharmacy benefit managers, according to MSNBC. During her tenure, the FTC filed major lawsuits against Amazon and Meta, accusing them of monopolistic and anticompetitive behavior — moves that drew the ire of billionaires such as Elon Musk, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and IAC and Expedia Group Chairman Barry Diller.
Lina Khan resigned shortly after President Donald Trump took office earlier this year. She is currently an Associate Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, where she joined the faculty in 2020. Before that, Khan served as counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, helping to lead its landmark investigation into digital markets. She also previously worked as legal adviser to FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra and as legal director at the Open Markets Institute.
Melanie Hartzog — Former New York City Deputy Mayor
Hartzog, who will serve as co-chair and director of the transition team, is a seasoned veteran of City Hall. Appointed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio as deputy mayor for health and human services, she previously led the city’s Office of Management and Budget, overseeing the largest municipal budget in the nation.
Her extensive career in public service includes roles as executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund, family services coordinator in the Mayor’s Office of Health and Human Services, and deputy commissioner of the Administration for Children’s Services. She also directed a social services unit within the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget and worked at the Human Services Council of New York City.
Hartzog is currently president of the New York Foundling, an organization dedicated to helping children and families move beyond foster care, supporting those struggling with poverty and conflict, and assisting individuals with developmental disabilities in leading fulfilling lives.
Elana Leopold — Political Strategist
Elana Leopold, a longtime Democratic strategist and former de Blasio aide, served as a senior adviser on Mamdani’s campaign. She will now take on the role of executive director of the transition team, helping to coordinate its strategic and operational efforts.
Maria Torres-Springer — Former First Deputy Mayor
Torres-Springer served as first deputy mayor in the administration of Mayor Eric Adams before stepping down earlier this year following his federal bribery and campaign finance indictment, a case that was later dismissed.
A veteran of municipal government, she has held several key leadership roles, including Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce, as well as Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
In September, Maria Torres-Springer was appointed president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, which focuses on advancing democratic values, expanding knowledge, and serving the public good.
Grace Bonilla — Nonprofit President
Grace Bonilla currently serves as president and CEO of United Way of New York City, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting low-income residents across the five boroughs.
According to the United Way website, under her current role, Grace has led several transformative initiatives aimed at closing the equity gap and uplifting New York City’s most vulnerable communities. Under her leadership, United Way of New York City has partnered with hundreds of trusted community organizations to distribute more than 15 million pounds of food to families in need, expand preventive healthcare access for hundreds of thousands of residents—growing program support from $8 million to over $15 million—and deliver more than 300,000 books and 7,000 fully stocked backpacks to children across the city’s public schools.
Grace Bonilla’s extensive public sector experience spans the administrations of both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg. Under de Blasio, Bonilla was appointed executive director of the city’s Task Force on Racial Equity and Inclusion. During the Bloomberg administration, she served as Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Community Affairs and Immigrant Services and as Assistant Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Constituent Services.
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