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    North                       The Indian Eye

                              AMERICANNewsline

             14                                                                                                            FEBRUARY 20, 2026

             Mamdani Reshapes City Hall with Key Appointments

                    Across Technology, Disability Services and Aging

                    New leadership team signals push for digital equity, accessibility, senior support
                                           and government accountability in New York City

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                 with disabilities and her history of advocacy. Orga-
                                                                                                       nizations including New York Lawyers for the Pub-
            NEW YORK, NY
                                                                                                       lic Interest and the Brooklyn Center for Indepen-
                     ayor  Zohran  Mamdani  has  unveiled                                              dence of the Disabled praised her track record of
                     a sweeping set of leadership appoint-                                             working collaboratively with affected communities.
            Mments across New York City government,                                                       The third major appointment places Dr. Lisa
            naming new commissioners to head the Office of                                             Scott-McKenzie at the helm of the Department
            Technology and Innovation, the Mayor’s Office for                                          for the Aging  (NYC Aging). A nearly four-de-
            People with Disabilities, and the Department for                                           cade veteran of New York City Health + Hospi-
            the Aging, while also nominating a former federal                                          tals, Scott-McKenzie most recently served as Chief
            prosecutor to lead the Department of Investigation.                                        Operating Officer at H+H/Woodhull, where she
                Announced at the SAGE Center Brooklyn at   by her commitment to leveraging technology for   oversaw major operational divisions and multimil-
            Stonewall House — a hub serving LGBTQ+ se-    the public good,” he said.                   lion-dollar construction projects.
            niors — the appointments underscore what the     Supporters from across the tech and public   A  Certified  Emergency  Manager,  she  has
            administration describes as a dual focus: modern-  policy sectors echoed that theme, citing her experi-  served as Incident Commander during crises rang-
            izing city services while strengthening protections   ence improving federal digital services and her will-  ing from the 2003 Northeastern blackout to Super-
            for vulnerable New Yorkers.                   ingness to confront inefficiencies and inequities in   storm Sandy. She began her city career in 1986 in a
                At the center of the technology overhaul is Lisa   government systems.                 clerical role and rose through the ranks — a trajec-
            Gelobter, who will serve as Chief Technology Offi-  Alongside the technology leadership change,  tory that supporters say reflects deep institutional
            cer and Commissioner of the Office of Technology   Mamdani appointed Nisha Agarwal as Commis-  knowledge and commitment.
            and Innovation (OTI). A veteran technologist and   sioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Dis-  As commissioner, Scott-McKenzie will focus on
            entrepreneur, Gelobter brings decades of experi-  abilities (MOPD). A public interest attorney and   ensuring older adults can access affordable housing,
            ence spanning Silicon Valley, federal government   longtime city official, Agarwal has worked at the   health care and essential services, while addressing
            and social impact ventures.                   intersection of immigration, health policy, civic en-  food insecurity and social isolation. “Our seniors
                Gelobter most recently founded tEQuitable,   gagement and disability justice.          have earned the right to age gracefully with digni-
            a platform designed to help organizations ad-    Her previous roles include Executive Director   ty and respect in the city that we love,” she said.
            dress systemic workplace culture challenges. In   for Policy and Communications at the city’s De-  City Councilmember Lynn Schulman, chair of
            the Obama administration, she served as Chief   partment of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Division   the Health Committee, described her as “smart,
            Digital Service Officer at the U.S. Department of   of Mental Hygiene, leadership positions at the In-  warm and kind,” adding that older New Yorkers
            Education, where she worked to improve access to   ternational Refugee Assistance Project, and head   would be “in good hands.” Advocacy groups such
            government services, particularly for underserved   of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs under   as LiveOn NY emphasized the urgency of strength-
            communities. Her résumé also includes stints in   the de Blasio administration. There, she helped   ening housing and services as the city’s senior pop-
            media and technology, including roles connected   launch IDNYC, the municipal identification card   ulation grows.
            to pioneering internet platforms such as Shock-  program, and co-founded Cities for Action, a na-  In addition to the agency appointments, Mam-
            wave and Hulu.                                tional coalition of local elected officials advocating   dani nominated Nadia Shihata as Commissioner of
                As CTO, she will oversee the city’s tech-  on immigration issues.                      the Department of Investigation (DOI), the city’s
            nology  infrastructure, cybersecurity  systems   As MOPD commissioner, Agarwal will coordi-  independent watchdog responsible for probing
            and data management initiatives — respon-     nate across agencies to ensure accessibility in hous-  corruption, waste, fraud and abuse across munic-
            sibilities that touch nearly every agency. But   ing, transportation, health services and civic partic-  ipal government. The nomination requires City
            her mandate, according to both her and the    ipation. “All of the priorities that Mayor Mamdani   Council confirmation.
            mayor, extends beyond technical upgrades.     supports  are  critical  for  people  with  disabilities,”   Shihata served more than 11 years as a feder-
               “Technology impacts how people experience   Agarwal said, citing affordable housing, food ac-  al prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the
            government every day — from accessing services to   cess, health care, transportation and employment.  Eastern District of New York, where she held se-
            trusting that systems work fairly and responsibly,”   “I will work with and on behalf of disabled New   nior leadership roles in organized crime and public
            Gelobter said. “My focus will be on using technolo-  Yorkers to tackle these issues and ensure that peo-  integrity units. Her cases included the prosecution
            gy in service of the public good: improving delivery,   ple with disabilities are at the forefront.”  of R&B musician R. Kelly on racketeering charges
            strengthening accountability, and ensuring innova-  Mamdani framed her appointment as part of   and investigations into civil rights abuses involving
            tion reflects the needs of all New Yorkers.”  a broader accessibility agenda. “It’s not enough for   correctional officers.
                Mamdani described her appointment as a sig-  New York City to be affordable for everyone — it   Shihata called the nomination “deeply hon-
            nal that digital equity and public-interest technol-  must be accessible to everyone, too,” he said.  ored,” emphasizing DOI’s role in ensuring city
            ogy will be central to his administration. “Lisa Ge-  Disability rights advocates welcomed the move,  agencies operate “with integrity, accountability,
            lobter’s decades-long career … has been defined   pointing to Agarwal’s lived experience as a person   and fairness for all New Yorkers.”

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