Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced that Counselor to the Mayor Anthony W. Crowell will leave City government to become the next Dean and President of New York Law School. Crowell, a member of the Mayor’s senior leadership team, has been an integral member of the Bloomberg Administration since 2002. He has helped lead major initiatives, provided counsel and strategic guidance to the Mayor and top Administration officials on a full array of legal, budget, management and policy issues and served as General Counsel to the Office of the Mayor. He is expected to leave City service and assume the role of Dean and President of New York Law School this spring.

“Anthony Crowell is someone I’ve trusted with an extraordinary amount of responsibility over the past decade, because his legal and policy acumen are matched only by his management expertise and knowledge of city government,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “He has been an integral part of our City Hall team, shaping and implementing almost all of our Administration’s key initiatives. I could always count on Anthony to deliver straight-shooting analysis, sound advice and creative solutions – no matter what the issue. New York Law School has been a valuable part of the city’s legal and academic landscape for more than 120 years, and they have made an outstanding decision in selecting Anthony Crowell to lead the school into the future.”

“Working in the Bloomberg Administration has been one of the greatest privileges of my life,” said Crowell. “Throughout the Administration, there is an immeasurably deep commitment to the people of this city – a tone set firmly at the top by the Mayor – and the desire to set the highest standards for government has driven everything we have done. I am going to miss walking into City Hall everyday and working to tackle extraordinary challenges with my colleagues on the City’s senior legal team, including Deputy Mayor Carol Robles-Roman and Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo. Having taught at New York Law School for nine years, I am highly impressed by the quality and commitment of its students and their passion for learning and have watched with great admiration the school’s remaking of its entire curriculum. I look forward to working with the students, faculty, staff and alumni to further the Law School’s mission, build on its strong legacy, and realize its promising future.”

As Counselor to the Mayor, Crowell has provided legal guidance for City agencies, boards and commissions, as well as City affiliated not-for-profit corporations, providing direction in the development and implementation of innovative new policies, plans and programs to strengthen City services. He has worked closely with the Mayor, Deputy Mayors and agency Commissioners, guiding decision making and serving as a liaison to other branches and levels of government. 

During his tenure in the Mayor’s Office, Crowell negotiated and helped to implement landmark reforms to the City’s campaign finance and lobbying laws, which have bolstered government transparency and accountability. He helped design and implement programs in the award-winning Center for Economic Opportunity, including the first local office in the nation that integrates financial education, asset building and the enforcement of consumer protection laws to address poverty. Crowell helped lead many of the City’s efforts to make it easier for citizens and business owners to interact with the City by rewriting regulations in plain language and helping guide the creation of the New Business Acceleration Team, which has dramatically cut down the time for new businesses to get permitted so they can get up and running.

Since 2003, Crowell has served on the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Public Library, and as Chairman of the Board since 2009. He has overseen the public library system’s $100 million budget, led major new fundraising efforts and directed successful changes in board governance and management of the library system. While serving as Chair, the system reached its highest circulation and program attendance in its 115 year history.

Crowell has served on a number of City Boards and Commissions, including City Charter Revision Commissions; the Regulatory Review Panel; the Franchise and Concession Review Committee; the Procurement Policy Board; the Police and Fire Pension Fund Boards; the Deferred Compensation Plan Board; the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City Board; the NYC & Company Board; the New York City Voter Assistance Commission; and the Mayor’s World Trade Center Health Panel.

Crowell began his legal career at the New York City Law Department, where he served as Assistant Corporation Counsel. He was counsel at the City’s Family Assistance Center following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, coordinating on-site legal operations and directing the City’s expedited death certificate program for families of persons missing as a result of the attacks. He managed a team of 100 attorneys who worked directly with affected family members, employees, domestic and foreign governments and law enforcement in the intake, investigation and processing of applications that led to the issuance of more than 2,400 expedited death certificates. Since then, he has advised other jurisdictions on the planning and implementation of disaster assistance centers.

He also served in the City Law Department’s Legal Counsel Division where he counseled top City officials on constitutional questions and the legality of disputed policy issues, and he also served in the Tax and Condemnation Division where he successfully defended the City in multi-million dollar real estate valuation cases, at the trial and appellate levels.

Prior to joining the City’s Law Department, Crowell worked for the International City/County Management Association in Washington, DC, where he managed the 8,500 member association’s government affairs and policy committee and assisted in the preparation of amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Crowell has served as an adjunct professor at New York Law School since 2003, where he has consistently been rated as a top instructor in evaluations by students. He has served as an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School since 1999. He teaches State and Local Government law courses. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he earned a law degree from the American University Washington College of Law.