Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed three commissioners to lead key city agencies, naming Lisa Gelobter as New York City’s new chief technology officer and commissioner of the Office of Technology and Innovation, Nisha Agarwal as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People With Disabilities, and Dr. Lisa Scott-McKenzie as commissioner of the Department for the Aging, officials said in a statement.
Gelobter, an experienced technology executive, will oversee the city’s technology infrastructure, cybersecurity and data management efforts, with a stated focus on expanding access to services and advancing digital equity. She has worked in public service and the private sector and is noted for her early contributions to internet technology, including development work on Shockwave, software that enabled rich interactive multimedia content on the web and helped shape online video and animation in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“Technology impacts how people experience government every day — from accessing services to trusting that systems work fairly and responsibly,” Gelobter said in the city release. “As CTO and commissioner, my focus will be on using technology in service of the public good.”
Mamdani said Gelobter’s experience as a computer scientist, innovator and entrepreneur will strengthen city technology initiatives.
Agarwal, a public interest attorney and longtime public servant, will lead the city’s disability office, working across government and with community partners to improve access to city spaces, services and resources for New Yorkers with disabilities. Before her appointment, she held leadership roles in city government, including executive director for policy and communications at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and head of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, where she helped launch initiatives such as the municipal ID program IDNYC.
“I am honored to be the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities,” Agarwal said, noting priorities including affordable housing, access to health care and transportation.
Dr. Scott-McKenzie, a veteran city employee and community leader, most recently served as chief operating officer at New York City Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, where she managed operations across multiple divisions and led major construction projects. She has also served as a certified emergency manager during significant events such as the 2003 blackout and Superstorm Sandy.
As commissioner of the Department for the Aging, Dr. Scott-McKenzie will be responsible for ensuring older adults can access housing, health care and other services, and for advancing programs to support their safety and economic stability.
“It is my distinct honor to serve New York City seniors and older adults,” she said in the release.
The appointments were announced Feb. 10 at the SAGE Center Brooklyn at Stonewall House, a facility serving LGBTQ+ seniors, and reflect the administration’s priorities on technology modernization, accessibility and aging services.
