Dawn M. Pinnock is the Commissioner for the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). As a proud native New Yorker, Dawn M. Pinnock is a transformative leader with more than two decades of experience at some of New York City’s largest municipal agencies. Prior to serving as Commissioner, Pinnock served as the Executive Deputy Commissioner for People Operations and Risk Management at DCAS, where she led the agency’s people-centered functions, including Administration, Citywide Equity and Inclusion, Citywide Human Capital, and Internal Audit. In her role, she maintained citywide oversight of services provided to the human resources, equal employment, and diversity and inclusion departments serving at every agency. Pinnock has also served as the Deputy Commissioner for Human Capital, overseeing all aspects of civil service administration and human resources operations. During her tenure at DCAS, she led teams that developed both the City’s remote work policy and the return to work policy, launched mandatory sexual harassment training for over 360,000 City employees, and made the City’s civil service process more accessible to current and potential City employees.
Prior to joining DCAS, Pinnock served as the Vice President of Human Resources at New York City Transit and as the Director of Human Resources at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). She holds a Master of Science in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from The New School for Social Research and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baruch College. She is a Certified Human Resource Professional, and a member of both the Association for Talent Development and the Society of Human Resource Management.
Carmine Rivetti is the Chief of Staff for the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Prior to his time as Chief of Staff, he served as Executive Director of External Affairs, overseeing communications and intergovernmental affairs. Rivetti came to the agency in July of 2014 as the Deputy Chief of Staff.
Prior to joining DCAS, he served as Associate Vice President of Income for the United Way of New York City overseeing social service related initiatives, which include financial management, food stamps outreach, hunger prevention, and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program.
Rivetti has spent more than 20 years in the public sector starting his career as a legislative financial analyst at the New York City Council. He continued his career as a government relations specialist with the American Cancer Society and NYCHA and would later serve as Assistant Commissioner for Government and Community Relations at the Department of Homeless Services.
Carmine holds a Master's in social work from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts from Drew University.
Laura Ringelheim is the Executive Deputy Commissioner for Asset and Property Management and oversees the planning, management, maintenance, and operations of the City’s real estate portfolio which is comprised of 22 million square feet of leased property and 15 million square feet of City-owned office and court buildings. The portfolio features 55 buildings, including City Hall, the Manhattan and Brooklyn Municipal Buildings, and the four Borough Halls. Across DCAS, Ringelheim helps to ensure cohesion and standardization among Facilities Management, Real Estate, and Construction/Technical Services. She is the chief advisor on asset and property management, mission-critical policies, programs, and procedures.
Ringelheim came to DCAS in 2016 and served as Special Counsel to the DCAS Commissioner, providing legal counsel, analysis, and oversight on agency policy and operations. Most recently, she served as the Deputy Commissioner of Real Estate Services where she enhanced the city’s leasing and deed restriction processes, reimagined the design and use of city spaces, and worked collaboratively with agency partners to address their space needs.
Before joining DCAS, Ringelheim served as Deputy General Counsel at the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS), the City’s lead office for contracting and procurement.
Prior to working at MOCS, Ringelheim served as the General Counsel for the New York City Commission to the United Nations, Consular Corps, and Protocol (subsequently renamed the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs). As General Counsel, she served as a key legal advisor for matters involving the City’s role as host to the United Nations and 192 foreign government offices.
Ringelheim also served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel at the New York City Law Department for eight years handling both affirmative and defensive litigation in the Real Estate and Tort Litigation Divisions.
Ringelheim received her undergraduate degree from George Washington University and her law degree from Brooklyn Law School. She is admitted to practice law in New York and before the courts of the Southern and Eastern Districts.
Beatrice Thuo is Executive Deputy Commissioner of Citywide Operations and manages DCAS’ citywide functions including Citywide Procurement, Energy Management, Fleet, and Human Capital. Thuo is responsible for ensuring these divisions provide shared services to support the operations of New York City government. Through lending support, advisement, and thought partnership, Thuo works from inside-out so that all City agencies have the resources they need to deliver on their missions and meet long-term citywide mandates and commitments.
Prior to serving as Executive Deputy Commissioner, Thuo served as the Senior Advisor for Real Estate Services. She spent nearly a decade in public service at the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) in a number of capacities including agency attorney, Associate general Counsel, and Deputy General Counsel where she mastered the complexities of HPD’s work. Prior to beginning her career in public service, Thuo worked as a real estate finance and development attorney in the private sector. Thuo earned her Juris Doctor at George Washington School of Law and B.A. from the University of Massachusetts and is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.
Crystal Monge is the Chief Engagement Officer and is responsible for providing strategic support, managing internal operations, liaising with senior staff to streamline and expedite processes, and fostering an internal culture of increased transparency and collaboration. In this role, Crystal works closely with DCAS’s internal lines of service – Administration, Information Technology and Fiscal Business and Management to enhance service delivery to agency employees and our public facing business units. In addition to this role, Monge also serves as a Senior Advisor to the Commissioner and provides insights, leads strategic projects, and offers guidance on policy matters.
Crystal has been a dedicated civil servant for more than 30 years, working at the Department of Corrections, Department of Juvenile Justice, and the Administration for Children Services.
Sanford Cohen is the DCAS General Counsel. He manages and supervises the Department’s Office of General Counsel in its handling of legal matters involving citywide personnel policies, the procurement of goods and services for city agencies, and the City’s real estate holdings and transactions, as well as the activities of the Citywide Office of Safety and Health. He entered service at DCAS as Deputy General Counsel for Human Capital in 2014 and served as Acting General Counsel in 2020.
Before joining DCAS, Mr. Cohen was the Executive Deputy General Counsel for the City’s Department of Consumer Affairs from 2008 to 2014, where his responsibilities included the oversight of the Department’s personnel policies and practices as well as the management of the legal department’s enforcement of consumer protection laws. He was the Deputy Director of the Domestic Legal Program at the Center for Reproductive Rights from 2005 to 2007 where he directed the Center’s litigation in courts across the United States. He was an Assistant United States Attorney and the Chief of Civil Rights Litigation in the Eastern District of New York from 1995 to 2005, where he handled criminal civil rights prosecutions and civil litigation enforcing federal civil rights laws. From 1983 to 1995, he served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York Attorney General’s Office. He was Bureau Chief from 1991 until 1995 and Deputy Bureau Chief from 1986 to 1991. He began his legal career as a staff attorney at Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Legal Services Corporation in 1979. .
Cohen is a graduate of Columbia College of Columbia University. He received Juris Doctor with honors from Rutgers-Newark School of Law. He is admitted to practice in the State of New York, all of the United States District Courts in New York, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits and the United States Supreme Court.
Barbara Dannenberg is the Deputy Commissioner for Human Capital (HC), which is responsible for maintaining the Civil Service system for the City of New York. HC recruits and identifies the best-qualified candidates for City employment, administers Civil Service exams for positions and provides City agencies with a qualified pool of candidates to fill their hiring needs in a manner consistent with the State Constitution, Civil Service Law and laws governing equal employment opportunity. In addition, HC develops and interprets Citywide policies and programs, develops and conducts professional development and employee training programs, and implements the City’s provisional reduction plan, among other critical functions.
Prior to serving as Deputy Commissioner, Dannenberg served as the Assistant Commissioner for Examinations, the Director of Classification and Compensation, and in various roles within Human Capital to support the City’s administration of the Civil Service process. She has amassed nearly 20 years of public sector experience and has shared her technical expertise throughout her tenure to support City agencies and Citywide operations. She has an unparalleled knowledge of the City’s title structure, and has successfully created pipeline and promotion pathways to City careers.
Prior to joining DCAS, Jesse served as a New York State Senator from 2015 through 2018. As a senator he represented the 20th district which included the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Brownsville, Prospect Heights, Sunset Park, and East Flatbush. Jesse also served as the chairman of the New York State Senate Banking Committee.
A native New Yorker, Jesse, has spent his entire career helping people, including as a civil servant working at the New York City Department of Finance (DOF). At DOF, he conducted small claims hearings for property tax reductions. He also served as Vice President of Community Board 8 for seven years in Crown Heights and as the President of Community School Board District 17. Jesse also served as legal counsel to former New York State Senator Eric Adams.
Jesse is a member of the New York State Bar and Brooklyn Bar Association. He graduated from Ithaca College, received his M.B.A. from Long Island University, and his J.D. from Seton Hall University. Jesse is also certified by New York University in Estate Planning.
Jesse and his wife, Lorna, have lived in Brooklyn for over 20 years, with their two children and a Dachshund named Paxton.
Keith Todd Kerman is the Deputy Commissioner of Fleet Management and the City of New York's first Chief Fleet Officer. In that role, he is responsible for the largest municipal fleet in the United States, with 30,000 vehicles, 80,000 fleet operators, and more than 2,000 employees engaged in fleet operations. Kerman manages inter-agency shared fleet services in partnership with major fleet agencies, including the Police, Fire, Sanitation, and Transportation departments.
Kerman leads implementation of the NYC Clean Fleet initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by 2025. The City has one of the greenest fleets in the nation with nearly 20,000 vehicles operating on some type of alternative fuel, including New York state's largest electric fleet and charging network. Kerman is also a leader in fleet safety as part of the City of New York's Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities.
Kerman has worked in public service for nearly three decades. Prior to his role at DCAS, he served more than 17 years with New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, most recently as Assistant Commissioner for Citywide Operations. He is a graduate of Harvard College.
Shanna Midelton is the Chief Financial Officer/Deputy Commissioner, Fiscal and Business Management (FBM), the central financial oversight for DCAS’s expense, capital, and revenue budget. As an experienced leader in government, Midelton brings with her years of experience working with stakeholders across New York City government. Prior to joining DCAS, Midelton served as a senior advisor at City Hall where she supported the first deputy mayor on education policy and the deputy mayor of strategic initiatives on launching the administration’s blueprint on childcare and early childhood education.
Midelton started her career at the NYC Office of Management & Budget where she spent nine years in various roles. As the assistant director for education, she oversaw the education portfolio consisting of expense and capital budgets for the Department of Education, CUNY community colleges, and the School Construction Authority. Also at OMB, Midelton served as the associate director of intergovernmental affairs and community boards.
Midelton previously worked at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance to countries in conflict. At IRC, Midelton served as a senior coordinator for grants & operations.
Midelton holds an M.A. in International Relations and Economics from the City University of New York and has been active with numerous community organizations, including The Council of Urban Professionals (CUP), as a Big Sister with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Chapter of NYC, and as a mentor with iMentor NYC.
Silvia Montalban is the Chief Citywide Equity and Inclusion Officer and oversees Citywide Equity and Inclusion (CEI). She is responsible for fostering the City of New York’s emergence as an innovative and global leader in equitable, diverse and inclusive employment practices. CEI is responsible for ensuring proper and consistent implementation of the City’s EEO Policy and other related policies and procedures and provides best practice guidance impacting the workforce across over 80 City government agencies.
Montalban is an attorney experienced in institutional compliance with non-discrimination laws and policies, employment law and employee relations matters in both city government and higher education. Prior to her role at DCAS, Silvia worked 10 years at the City University of New York's (CUNY) John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she served as the head of the Compliance and Diversity department, addressing matters impacting both the employee and student populations. She handled investigations under non-discrimination policies and laws, including Title IX, and led policy training programs for employees and students. During her tenure at John Jay College, she also served as the secondary head of the Office of the General Counsel for several years.
Her prior City government service includes: Director of the Employment Law Unit at the NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS); and as an attorney with the NYC Department of Homeless Services monitoring emergency assistance petitions, representing the agency in appeal hearings and labor proceedings, advising the Family Services division in the legal compliance of programmatic initiatives, and later serving as the agency's Personnel Director.
Montalban is a graduate of Columbia College of Columbia University and earned her Juris Doctor degree from Hofstra University School of Law.
Shameka Overton is the Deputy Commissioner of Administration. In this role, Overton is responsible for internal support services to the agency’s 2,300 employees. These services include Human Resources, Payroll and Timekeeping, Labor Relations, Disciplinary Proceedings, Employee Relations, and Transportation Services. Overton also oversees the City Store, the Official Store of the City of New York, and the DCAS Police force, which provides law enforcement and security services for employees and visitors to DCAS-managed facilities.
She began her career in City government career more than 20 years ago as a college intern. She holds a degree in Business Administration and is a Senior Professional in Human Resources.
Nitin Patel is the Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology and DCAS's Chief Information Officer. In that role, he is responsible for providing technological guidance for the agency and for establishing and directing the strategic and tactical goals, policies, and procedures for the Information Technology Department. He collaborates with the agency's commissioner and consults with all of the agency's lines of service to present new approaches and discuss system changes.
Prior to joining DCAS, Patel worked at New York City’s Financial Information Services Agency (FISA), implementing Citywide Human Resources, payroll, and timekeeping systems. Previously, he worked in the consulting, media, and healthcare industries and has more than 22 years of experience working as an IT executive linking business strategies and technology solutions.
Patel has an electrical engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology.
Joseph Wagner is Assistant Commissioner/Chief Engineer responsible for DCAS's Construction and Technical Services (CTS). He coordinates all phases of construction for DCAS facilities, is responsible for the maintenance and repair of nearly 600 vertical lifts, and for the inspections, condition assessments, recommendations, and repairs of approximately 1,800 DCAS properties, including waterfront properties within the five boroughs.
Wagner is a professional engineer with more than 40 years of experience in structural engineering. His background is in structural design, construction, field inspections of high rise buildings, and the maintenance and rehabilitation of existing buildings.
Prior to joining the City of New York in 1988, he served as Vice President and Partner of Ramp Engineering Consultants, where he handled multi-million-dollar projects, from design through construction, for both the public and private sectors.
He is registered as a professional engineer in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and North Carolina. He also holds certification as a structural engineer from the Structural Engineering Certification Board, a certification as a special inspector of threshold buildings in the state of Florida, special inspector for the City of New York, and holds a New York City contractor’s license. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University.