Governor Hochul Announces Senior Administration Appointments

 

Kathryn Garcia to Serve as Director of State Operations

Neysa Alsina to Serve as Special Advisor on Pandemic Relief

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced two senior appointments to her administration. Kathryn Garcia and Neysa Alsina will serve as Director of State Operations and Special Advisor on Pandemic Relief respectively.

"When I was officially sworn in last week, I outlined my top priorities to combat the Delta variant, get aid out the door to New Yorkers as quickly as possible, and to change the culture in Albany," Governor Hochul said. "Kathryn Garcia and Neysa Alsina are tremendously accomplished and dedicated public servants. They know how to run effective and professional operations, and they will be instrumental in making our State government work better for New Yorkers and restoring trust in government."

Kathryn Garcia has been appointed Director of State Operations. Previously, she served as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation, leading its 9,700 uniformed and civilian employees. Over the course of more than six years at the helm, Ms. Garcia led the department through nearly 15 feet of snow, expanded environmental programs from e-waste collection to the largest curbside organics program and implemented innovative technology solutions to manage the both its personnel and fleet. In addition to her duties at the Department of Sanitation, she served as the City's Lead Czar, developing a plan to eliminate childhood elevated blood lead levels, and during the winter of 2019, she also stepped in as the interim Chair of the New York City Housing Authority to begin implementation of an agreement with the federal government. During the pandemic, Commissioner Garcia served as the COVID-19 Food Czar, delivering over 1 million meals a day to hungry New Yorkers. A lifelong New Yorker, Commissioner Garcia launched her career as an intern at the Department of Sanitation. Before returning to the Department as Commissioner, she served as Chief Operating Officer at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, where she was responsible for the operation of the City's water supply, water and sewer system, and wastewater treatment plants. Prior to her service at DEP, Garcia was Vice President at Appleseed. Commissioner Garcia earned her B.A. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Neysa Alsina has been appointed Special Advisor on Pandemic Relief. Ms. Alsina previously served as chief counsel to the New York City Comptroller, overseeing the Office's legal affairs and representing its interests in safeguarding the fiscal health of the City and the assets of the City's five public pension systems. Ms. Alsina previously served as Senior Policy Advisor to Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez in Washington, D.C. Prior to that role, she was the Counsel to the New York City Bar Association where she provided legal advice on a broad range of matters. Ms. Alsina also previously counseled on a variety of legal matters at Municipal Credit Union. Ms. Alsina received a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and a B.A. and B.S. from Rutgers University.