Meet Zohran Mamdani's All-Female Squad Leading His New York Transition Team

New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has announced an all-female transition team led by Elana Leopold as executive director.

“In the coming months, I and my team will build a city hall capable of delivering

on the promises of this campaign,” Mamdani told reporters in Queens on Wednesday.

“We will form an administration that is equal parts capable and compassionate, driven by integrity and willing to work just as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home,” he said.

The all-female transition team will include co-chairs Maria Torres-Springer, the former first deputy mayor; Lina Khan, the former federal trade commission chair; the United Way’s president and CEO, Grace Bonilla; and the former deputy mayor for health and human services Melanie Hartzog.

According to The Guardian, the selection of Khan, who gained national prominence for her aggressive antitrust enforcement at the FTC under Joe Biden and is admired by both progressives and populist Republicans, signals Mamdani’s intention to bring bold reformers into his administration as he prepares to lead the nation’s largest city.

Zohran Mamdani, elected Mayor of New York City on November 4, will assume office on January 1, 2026, marking a historic moment for the city. At 34, Mamdani becomes the youngest mayor in nearly a century, as well as the city’s first Muslim and first Indian-American leader.

Days after a massive win in the New York City mayoral election, Mamdani launched an open public application to recruit top talent for his incoming administration.

He further said it would begin announcing deputy mayors and agency commissioners in the coming days. Mamdani said that “some of these people will have familiar names, others will not” but that these officials would be united by their “commitment to solving old problems with new solutions”.

The mayoral term spans four years, with incumbents allowed two consecutive terms, after which a third term is possible following a break. The office holds substantial authority, overseeing critical aspects of city life, including the public school system, police, transportation networks, and infrastructure, while shaping policies that affect the city’s 10 million residents across its five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.