Zohran Mamdani is officially the mayor-elect of New York City, and—as if to illustrate just how differently he works from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, his chief opponent, whose systemic harassment of women in the workplace has been a matter of public record—Mamdani has announced an all-female transition team as he prepares to take over for Eric Adams on January 1, 2026.
Mamdani’s diverse and energetic campaign staff played a major role in his big win on Tuesday night, with strategists including Maya Handa, Zara Rahim, Tascha Van Auken, and Faiza Ali advising the mayor-elect on key issues including trans rights, abortion access, and universal childcare. Here, a guide to the co-chairs of Mamdani’s transition team.
Grace Bonilla
Bonilla is the president and CEO of United Way of New York City, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting and empowering low-income New Yorkers. She was appointed executive director of the Taskforce on Racial Equity and Inclusion (TRIE) by former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio in 2020 and previously served as de Blasio’s administrator of the Human Resources Administration.
Melanie Hartzog
Hartzog previously served as deputy mayor of health and human services for New York City, and director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget under de Blasio. She has since been appointed the president and chief executive officer of the child welfare nonprofit the New York Foundling.
Lina Khan
Khan is best known as the chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under former President Joe Biden. Before resigning soon after President Donald Trump took office in 2024, she oversaw the FTC’s suing of Amazon and Meta over alleged violations of antitrust laws and deceptive business practices.
Elana Leopold
Leopold, a political strategist and senior Mamdani campaign advisor who worked for de Blasio from 2011 to 2017, has been tapped to serve as the executive director of Mamdani’s transition team.
Maria Torres-Springer
Torres-Springer, the former first deputy mayor to Adams, began her work in the incumbent mayor’s administration in 2022. She stepped down from her role in February due to Adams’s controversial relationship with the Trump administration.
