Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today appointed Paul J. Cosgrave Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT). DoITT works with City agencies to manage information systems that support City operations and public access to City services. Commissioner Cosgrave succeeds former Commissioner Gino Menchini. Ronald Bergmann has served as the acting Commissioner for DoITT since March of 2006. 

"New York City is fortunate to welcome Paul Cosgrave as our new Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications," said Mayor Bloomberg. "As a senior executive with a proven record of accomplishment in creating and implementing breakthrough strategies for start-ups and once failing organizations, Paul has demonstrated success in the private and public sectors. He is a strategic and tactical thinker with expertise in implementing high-tech solutions to complex problems. I am confident that Paul will use his more than 30 years of experience to excel in his new role and continue to help us make City services more effective and accessible to all New Yorkers. "

"I have committed my career in the public and private sectors to using the power of technology to make people and the organizations they serve more effective," said Commissioner Cosgrave. "It is my honor to be called to public service once again and to serve Mayor Bloomberg and the residents of New York City. Mayor Bloomberg, more than most chief executives, understands and appreciates the transforming power that technology can have on communities and sectors.  I am thrilled to be a part of team Bloomberg."

DoITT operates the City's 311 Citizen Service Center, which provides the public with information and services for over 300 agencies and organizations. DoITT also manages and operates the City's data center, website (NYC.gov), telephone systems, fiber-optic network, radio network, internal data network, and television and radio stations. Since Mayor Bloomberg launched 3-1-1 in March 2003, it has received over 35 million calls, and now regularly averages approximately 40,000 calls per day.

Prior to his appointment, Commissioner Cosgrave served as the Executive Vice President for Crown Consulting, Inc., where he directed an Enterprise Architecture team to design the overall structure of the Next Generation Air Transportation System for the Federal Aviation Administration. From 1998 to 2001, he served as Chief Information Officer at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an organization with an annual budget of $1.6 billion and a staff of 7,900, where he led a major restructuring and centralization of information systems.

During his tenure at the IRS, Commissioner Cosgrave also worked on designing a multi-billion dollar strategic modernization program that was aimed at improving core processing capabilities, streamlining operations, and introducing e-commerce services to taxpayers. He also organized and completed one of the largest Y2K conversions. Prior to joining the IRS, Commissioner Cosgrave was the Chairman, President and CEO of the Claremont Technology Group, a start-up IT Company that he took public in 1996. Commissioner Cosgrave has served as Executive Board member for the Information Technology Association of America. Commissioner Cosgrave earned an MS and BS in Industrial Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a native New Yorker, born in Flushing, Queens and is the father of three grown children.