Sheena Wright

Sheena Wright

Sheena Wright has served in the Adams administration since January 2022, first as deputy mayor of strategic initiatives and, since January 2023, as first deputy mayor. 

During her time in the administration, she helped launch the first phase of the MyCity portal, a one-stop-shop where New Yorkers can easily apply for and track city services and benefits. She has helped the city deliver on key planks of the Blueprint for Child Care & Early Childhood Education in New York City — most notably, clearing a backlogged waitlist for vouchers and allowing families of 36,000 children to apply for low-cost, high-quality child care. First Deputy Mayor Wright also co-led the Joint Taskforce to Get Nonprofits Paid on Time, which unlocked more than $4.2 billion in contractual dollars for more than 460 large and small organizations. She drove an historic expansion of New York City’s summer youth employment program — already the nation’s largest such program — to offer job opportunities to 100,000 young New Yorkers this past summer. And First Deputy Mayor Wright additionally co-leads the city’s Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, which has contributed to the city’s decrease in shootings. 

First Deputy Mayor Wright previously served as the first female president and CEO of United Way of New York City and president and CEO of Abyssinian Development Corporation. Before joining the Adams administration, she was appointed to the city’s Education Sector Advisory Council and the state’s New York Forward Re-Opening Advisory Board. 

First Deputy Mayor Wright practiced law, including for five years at the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. She also served as a trustee for Columbia University and acted as a board member for New Visions for Public Schools, NYC Kids Rise, and the New York City Regional Economic Development Council. 

First Deputy Mayor Wright has been named number one on City & State New York’s “Nonprofit Power 100,” listed in Crain’s New York Business’ “Notable Black Leaders and Executives,” and named numerous times as a notable nonprofit executive and civil servant. 

She is a graduate of Columbia University and Columbia Law School.