MAYOR DE BLASIO APPOINTS RECOVERY CZAR LORRAINE GRILLO

 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio today named Lorraine Grillo as the Senior Advisor for Recovery. Grillo, who will serve as New York City’s “Recovery Czar,” will coordinate across City government to supercharge Mayor de Blasio’s recovery agenda, as detailed on RecoveryForAll.nyc.gov. 

“New York City was hit with an unprecedented health care and economic crisis. Together, we’re taking unprecedented steps to drive a recovery for all of us,” said Mayor de Blasio. “As New York City’s first-ever Recovery Czar, Lorraine will cut through bureaucracy, coordinate across all agencies, and reach out to non-profit and private partners to make sure our recovery is felt in every borough, every neighborhood, and every block.”

 

“I build things. That’s what I do. And together, we are going to build a recovery that lifts up every New Yorker,” said Senior Advisor for Recovery Lorraine Grillo. “Every job I’ve had serving the people of New York City, from responding to Hurricane Sandy to expanding universal Pre-K, has required an intense coordination across different agencies, companies and non-profits. That’s the same aggressive approach I’m going to take to lead a recovery for all of us.”

 

“We are leading an economic recovery that involves everything from vaccine distribution to reopening schools to attracting new jobs,” said Deputy Mayor of Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. “With Lorraine serving as our Recovery Czar, this effort on all fronts will have a dedicated, centralized leader to make sure we’re leveraging every last bit of effort to bring our city back fairer and stronger than ever before.”

 

In this new position, Grillo will coordinate across government agencies, non-profits and the private sector to ensure everyone is working together for New York City’s recovery. Working with the New York City Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity, Grillo will build on her work championing minority-and women-owned businesses (MWBE) and push for economic justice across all recovery efforts. Grillo will work directly with Mayor de Blasio to lead a recovery war room that will convene leaders across government for regular progress on recovery efforts.

 

Grillo’s appointment as Recovery Czar is effective immediately, and she will begin a transition from her roles as Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction and CEO of the New York City School Construction Authority. Grillo, who has served at the School Construction Authority since 1994 and serving as its president since 2010, brings unmatched experience in building physical infrastructure, fair and equitable contracting, and putting the concerns of low-income New Yorkers first.