Maria Torres-Springer is the NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic
Development and Workforce, charged with spearheading the administration’s efforts
to strengthen and diversify its economy, advance Mayor Adams’ moonshot goal of
creating 500,000 new hom es for New Yorkers over the next decade, preserve and
improve the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), bolster small business,
connect New Yorkers to family-sustaining jobs, and expand access to arts and culture.
She previously was Vice President of US Programs at the Ford Foundation where she
oversaw the foundation’s domestic grant making and made historic investments to
support racial equity, workers’ rights, voting rights, and arts and culture across the
country.
As commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development,
Maria focused on the production of housing for the city’s most vulnerable
communities, while also launching several new programs to protect tenants’ rights.
She led the implementation of Housing New York, a five-borough, 12-year plan to
create or preserve 300,000 affordable homes; and she steered the financing of
approximately 60,000 affordable homes.
Earlier, as president and CEO of New York City Economic Development
Corporation, Maria led the implementation of the new citywide ferry service and
made major investments in key sectors of the city’s economy. She also spearheaded
several neighborhood revitalization plans. Prior to that, as commissioner of the NYC
Department of Small Business Services, Maria prioritized efforts to raise wages and
support women and immigrant-owned businesses and worked to prepare New Yorkers
for 21st-century jobs.
Maria earned her bachelor's degree in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale
University and a master’s in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at
Harvard University. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.