TLC Leadership

Midori Valdivia, Chair and Commissioner

Midori Valdivia was nominated to serve as the Chair and Commissioner of the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) by Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani on January 13, 2026, and was confirmed by the City Council on March 26, 2026.

Midori has worked at the center of the New York region’s most consequential transportation institutions, including the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. As Chief of Staff at the MTA, serving a workforce of 70,000, she played a key leadership role in advancing some of the most significant transportation and climate policies in the nation. Her leadership has worked to center the dignity of working people within complex regulatory and fiscal environments. Midori shaped the regulatory framework for the first wage standards for service workers at John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports and was part of the senior leadership team in advancing the TLC’s first-in-the-nation driver pay study for for-hire vehicle drivers — landmark efforts that strengthened income stability for thousands of predominantly immigrant workers. As Deputy Commissioner for Finance and Administration at the TLC, Midori also led the rollout of the largest wheelchair accessible taxi fleet in the United States.

Born to Peruvian parents, she lived in Osaka, Japan, with her family as a young child. She immigrated to the United States, where English became her third language. Midori holds a Master's Degree in Public Affairs and Urban and Regional Planning from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Penn State University. Midori served on the Board of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, nominated by the Mayor of New York at the time and appointed by the Governor of New York. She was previously a Trustee of the TransitCenter foundation and board member of the Shared-Use Mobility Center and the Regional Plan Association. Midori co-founded the Women of Color Network in Transportation and Climate Infrastructure. She is committed to expanding equitable, affordable, and accessible transportation options. 

Paola Ruiz, Chief of Staff

Paola Ruiz serves as Chief of Staff at the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), where she supports the Commissioner in advancing key agency priorities, including promoting driver and passenger dignity, strengthening accountability, and building a transportation system that works together. She works across policy, operations, and external partners to ensure coordination and effective execution.

Previously, Paola was Deputy Chief of Staff at the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), where she advised the Commissioner and supported agency-wide initiatives, executive operations, and cross-divisional coordination, working closely with City Hall, agency partners, and external stakeholders.

Paola also held several roles in the New York City Mayor’s Office, including Deputy Director of Executive Operations and positions within the Community Affairs Unit. In these roles, she supported the Mayor’s day-to-day operations, coordinated complex interagency efforts, and contributed to the delivery of mayoral priorities across agencies and boroughs, including during periods of high operational demand.

Earlier in her career, Paola supported the Inwood NYC rezoning, a comprehensive neighborhood plan that advanced housing, infrastructure, and community development in Northern Manhattan.

She brings extensive experience in government operations, stakeholder engagement, and cross-agency coordination, with a focus on delivering effective, people-centered public service.

Malcolm Cain, Deputy Chief of Staff

Malcolm Cain is the Deputy Chief of Staff of the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, where he supports the Chair and Chief of Staff in the TLC’s day-to-day operations. 

Prior to this current role, Cain served as Senior Advisor for the Deputy Mayor for Operations of New York City. While there, he coordinated, managed, and supported key projects involving the NYC Department of Buildings and the TLC that increased overall efficiency, collaboration, and consistency of policy recommendations. 

Cain has worked for City government for over a decade, where he has served the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) and TLC. 

Cain holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology from St. John’s University, is a Staten Island resident and a Philadelphia native. 

James DiGiovanni, Deputy Commissioner for Policy and External Affairs

James DiGiovanni is the Deputy Commissioner for Policy and External Affairs, overseeing the agency’s policy, communications, intergovernmental affairs, and community engagement portfolios.

James’s teams help create, evaluate, and communicate agency efforts such as those related to driver well-being, electric vehicles, accessibility, and data transparency, keeping TLC on the cutting edge of regulating the city’s for-hire transportation. Before his current position, James served in multiple roles at TLC in the Policy and Legal Departments.

Prior to joining TLC, James was Counsel to the Transportation Committee at the New York City Council, where he drafted and negotiated legislation and planned legislative and oversight hearings covering TLC, the NYC Department of Transportation, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. A Queens native and resident, James holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an M.A. in Philosophy from Georgia State University, and a B.A. in Philosophy and Government & Politics from St. John’s University.

Sherryl Eluto, General Counsel/Deputy Commissioner of Legal Affairs & Prosecution

Sherryl Eluto is the Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs and Prosecution and serves as General Counsel.  She oversees TLC’s legal department and provides counsel to the Commission, the Chair and to the agency. 

Legal Affairs’ responsibilities include rulemaking and legislation, Freedom of Inform Law (FOIL) requests, medallion transfers, litigation, contracts, labor and employee discipline.  The Prosecution Unit ensures compliance with TLC regulations and the Administrative Code and prosecutes summonses before the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. 
  
Prior to joining TLC, Ms. Eluto graduated from SUNY Binghamton and New York Law School, and is a lifelong Brooklynite. She began her career at TLC in 1990, serving as a staff attorney.

Ira Goldapper, Deputy Commissioner, Uniformed Services Bureau

Ira Goldapper is the Deputy Commissioner for the Uniformed Services Bureau, overseeing the divisions responsible for the safety of the riding public.  The Safety and Emissions Division performs inspections of TLC-licensed vehicles and in-vehicle technologies, and the Enforcement Division patrols the city, ensuring drivers of those vehicles are properly licensed and operating in a safe and lawful manner. 
  
Before taking on the role as Deputy Commissioner, he was TLC’s Director of Discipline and Labor Relations for ten years, where he oversaw investigations of complaints against TLC employees, employee disciplinary proceedings, labor relations, and served as the personnel attorney for the agency. 
  

Prior to joining TLC in 2012, Goldapper served in the Office of General Counsel for the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, where he began his city service in 2005, handling legal matters involving citywide personnel policies and Civil Service Law.  He received his Juris Doctor from New York Law School and Bachelor of Science in Political Science from SUNY University at Buffalo. 

Evan Hines, Deputy Commissioner of Operations, People & Innovation

Evan Hines is TLC’s Deputy Commissioner for Operations, People, and Innovation (OPI) division, which includes Human Resources, Administrative Services, Information Technology, Operations, and Process Improvement teams. OPI ensures all divisions have the resources they need to deliver on their missions and meet long-term mandates and commitments. 

Before joining TLC in 2020, Evan worked at the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) for over 10 years in various senior management positions. Last serving as its First Deputy Commissioner, he was second-in-command to its commissioner and oversaw all administrative functions of the agency. During Evan’s tenure, DoITT launched the largest continuous free public Wi-Fi network in the United States, established the City’s landmark Open Data plan, implemented the City’s first interactive crime mapping tool, and deployed a re-designed NYC.gov site. 

Before joining DoITT, Evan was the Director of Performance Management Strategies at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) where he established a performance management program – MTA Stat – and planned a proof-of-concept for MTA’s real-time bus locator. He also served as a Deputy Director and Senior Policy Advisor in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations, creating the Citywide Performance Reporting system and conceptualizing and launching the award-winning My Neighborhood Statistics application, which provides the public with community-level performance data from the Mayor’s Management Report.  

Evan is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, where he received bachelors and master’s degrees in English. He currently lives in Manhattan with his husband and is proud to be a lifelong New Yorker born and raised in Brooklyn and a product of the NYC public school system. 

Aisha Richard, Deputy Commissioner of Licensing and Standards

Aisha Richard is Deputy Commissioner of Licensing and Standards at TLC. Her portfolio includes Licensing Initiatives and Reporting, Application Processing, Client Services, Customer Experience, TLC’s Call Center, Licensee Compliance, and Education Services. Aisha is committed to advancing excellence in government by improving operational efficiency and delivering customer-centered services.

 
Aisha is a dedicated public servant who has served the City of New York for over 17 years. Before she joined TLC, she served the City at FDNY and the Department of Buildings. Aisha earned her BA in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University and an MBA in Strategic Management from Baruch College. 

Elsa Hampton, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer

Elsa Hampton is an attorney with over 20 years of experience in the fields of criminal, employment, and civil rights law, compliance, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

 At the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), she is responsible for the development and implementation of the agency’s strategic diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives and for providing agency-wide leadership in the development, implementation, and maintenance of discrimination-free policies, procedures, and practices. She also offers guidance regarding Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)-related best practices, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local EEO laws and reporting requirements. She also serves as the agency’s Digital Inclusion Officer and Alternate Dispute Resolution Coordinator.

Before joining TLC, Elsa worked at the Legal Aid Society, New York City Department of Education, MTA New York City Transit, and the Office of Technology and Innovation, where she handled matters related to employment law, civil rights, diversity, equity, inclusion, and compliance. She was also an adjunct professor at Berkeley College in Brooklyn and taught criminal justice-related courses while serving on the school’s Legal Studies Advisory Board.

Elsa is a committed civil servant who is also active in public service.  She has served on the boards of multiple non-profits and has been recognized by the New York City Council, the Office of the Nassau County Executive, , and Dominican Sunday, Inc. Elsa earned a Bachelor of Science from S.U.N.Y. Old Westbury, a Master's Degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and her law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law.