Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced that Jeffrey Kay, Director of the Mayor's Office of Operations, will leave City government at the end of June for a position in the private sector. Since March 2006, Kay has led the Mayor's Office of Operations, which oversees a wide range of City operations, focused on holding City agencies accountable for results, improving agency operations and making City government accountable to New Yorkers through the public dissemination of data. He has been at the forefront of many of the Administration's signature initiatives and has been a senior advisor to the Mayor. Kay is also one the Mayor's designees on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board and has been a chief advisor to the Mayor on MTA matters.

"I've often said, Jeff is one of the unsung heroes of our Administration," said Mayor Bloomberg. "For so many of our key programs, if you look behind the scenes, you will often find that Jeff was a major force in making those initiatives a reality. New Yorkers have a City government that simply runs better, in no small part due to the programs and initiatives Jeff has developed and led. I can remember being briefed by Jeff in my first month as Mayor, and he has been a big part of our team ever since."

"I've been privileged to be a part of this Administration since day one," said Kay. "The Mayor has been an extraordinary person to work for - he places tremendous trust in those around him, challenges you to constantly look for new ways to improve how we operate and is always willing to let you try new ideas. I will take the experiences and accomplishments we achieved with me throughout the rest of my career."

Under Kay's leadership over the last four years, the Office of Operations expanded to include the Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, the Office of Environmental Remediation and the 311 Call Center. He launched major new initiatives that have helped City government do more for New Yorkers, including: the Citywide Performance Reporting dashboard, an online database that is updated monthly and provides an easy-to-use snapshot of City agency performance - helping hold agencies accountable for results; the Street Conditions Observations Unit, a team of inspectors that visits every City street once a month to identify quality-of-life conditions; and the continued refinement of the Mayor's Management Report, which has enhanced its value as a tool for taxpayers to evaluate the performance of their government.

Kay was responsible for the reform of the City's graffiti cleanup efforts, streamlining the process for identifying street defects and repairs, and improving various City licensing centers. He helped coordinate and track the City's allocation of Federal Stimulus funding and his office developed the City's nationally recognized Stimulus Tracker website.

As a leader in the implementation of PlaNYC 2030, Kay was responsible for developing the strategy for the plan's rollout, and leading high profile initiatives including the congestion pricing plan, the effort to put more hybrid taxis on the road and launching the first municipal Brownfield program in the nation.

Kay also oversaw operations of the Taxi and Limousine Commission and helped lead some the major reforms to the taxi and for-hire vehicle industries, including: the installation of credit card payment options, Global Positioning Systems, and passenger and driver information screens in all taxicabs - enabling data collection and more lost property recoveries; the establishment of a passenger bill of rights and increased vehicle and safety standards for livery vehicles; and the start of the process to create a new, custom-built future New York City taxicab. In addition, Kay served as a member of the Taxi and Limousine Commission Board of Commissioners.

Prior to leading the Office of Operations, Kay served as a Deputy Director at the Office of Management and Budget, responsible for Education and Intergovernmental Affairs. He was the City's chief negotiator on various large State Aid packages including the MAC bond refinancing, lower Manhattan incentive programs, and the State education aid package resulting from the settlement of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit.

Kay began his career in City government as an intern with the Office of Management and Budget in 1996, and after a year as an analyst in the budget office, he served as an Assistant Legislative Representative in the Mayor's Office of State Legislative Affairs from 1998 through 2001. He holds a Masters Degree in Public Affairs from the State University at Albany - SUNY and a Bachelors Degree from Binghamton University - SUNY.