Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday appointed Christina Farrell as the new commissioner of New York City Emergency Management, the agency that coordinates the city’s emergency planning, response and recovery.

The NYCEM veteran replaces Zach Iscol, who stepped down on Feb. 11 after more than three years leading the agency.

What You Need To Know

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed Christina Farrell as the new commissioner of New York City Emergency Management

Farrell, who joined NYCEM in 2003, has served as the agency’s first deputy commissioner since October 2021. She replaces Zach Iscol, who stepped down on Feb. 11

She has helped lead the city through several major crises over the past two decades, City Hall said, including the 2003 citywide blackout, Hurricane Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic

“New York City faces extraordinary challenges, and meeting them demands steady, experienced leadership. There is no one better prepared to lead NYCEM than Christina Farrell,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Over three decades in public service — and in recent years as First Deputy Commissioner — she has helped guide our city through crisis after crisis with clarity and resolve.”

In a press release, Mamdani said Farrell has served as first deputy commissioner of NYCEM since October 2021. She has helped lead the city through several major crises over the past two decades, including the 2003 citywide blackout, Hurricane Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farrell joined the agency in 2003 as its first director of grants, according to the release. She later created its external affairs division, serving as assistant commissioner and then deputy commissioner.

Her career in New York City government dates back to 1994, when she began working as a coordinator in the Mayor’s Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator, the release said.

She later served as deputy director of the New York City High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and as deputy director and director of the Mayor’s Office of Grants Administration, where she helped establish the Twin Towers Fund after the Sept. 11 attacks, the release added.

“I’m honored to be appointed Commissioner of NYCEM, an agency that protects 8.5 million New Yorkers when they need us most, and to continue serving alongside the dedicated professionals who do this work every day,” Farrell said in a statement.

“The mayor’s vision is to deepen what New Yorkers expect from government and deliver with excellence, accountability, and integrity. For emergency management, that means ensuring preparedness reaches every neighborhood, that our response is coordinated and effective, and that New Yorkers can trust we’ll be there when crisis strikes,” she added. “Together with our partners across government and the community, we’ll build the resilient, prepared city that New Yorkers deserve.”