Nick Benson, Chief Communications Officer and Deputy Commissioner
Nick Benson has served as Chief Communications Officer for the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) since 2023. He helps the nation’s largest municipal transportation agency advance its work through effective storytelling and public communication. He leads a wide portfolio that includes the Press, Strategic Communications, Creative Services, and Commissioner’s Correspondence units. Collectively, his team’s work shapes how millions of New Yorkers understand NYC DOT’s work to build safer, better, and more livable streets.
Mr. Benson believes in a proactive approach to government communication and a culture of innovation and creativity. Under his leadership, NYC DOT has built the most productive and effective Press Office in city government, established city government’s most creative and fastest-growing social media presence, and expanded the tools the agency uses to reach more New Yorkers. His work reflects the belief that effective government requires effective communication that demonstrates impact with clarity and purpose.
Previously, Mr. Benson served as Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs at the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services, where he revitalized communications for the City’s chief administrative agency. He also served as Press Secretary for the NYC Department of Small Business Services, helping New Yorkers access good jobs, launch and grow small businesses, and strengthen their neighborhoods.
Mr. Benson’s approach to communications is shaped by earlier experiences outside city government. As Senior Deputy Press Secretary in the New York State Attorney General’s Office, he managed media strategy on complex and high-profile legal matters—from criminal enforcement to consumer fraud. Prior to that, he worked on political campaigns, including as a Regional Field Director for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s successful 2012 re-election campaign. He began his public-service career in Ohio state government as an aide to Richard Cordray during his tenures as Ohio Attorney General and Ohio Treasurer.
The son of a third-generation firefighter and raised in a working-class family in Appalachian Ohio, Mr. Benson is passionate about social and economic justice and how government can uplift and empower all people and communities. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Arts in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University.
Mr. Benson lives in Upper Manhattan with his partner, Lauren, and their two cats, Fitzy and Ellie.