Astoria native Lorraine Grillo has been appointed as the city’s “Recovery Czar,” tasked with leading the COVID-19 rebuilding efforts across the five boroughs. In the newly created post, Grillo will lead the recovery war room at City Hall, where she will coordinate government agencies, nonprofits and the private sector.
“New York City was hit with an unprecedented health care and economic crisis,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “Together, we’re taking unprecedented steps to drive a recovery for all of us. As New York City’s first-ever Recovery Czar, Lorraine will cut through bureaucracy, coordinate across all agencies, and reach out to nonprofit and private partners to make sure our recovery is felt in every borough, every neighborhood and every block.”
Grillo will transition from her roles as Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction and CEO of the city’s School Construction Authority where she has served since 1994.
“I build things. That’s what I do. And together, we are going to build a recovery that lifts up every New Yorker,” Grillo said. “Every job I’ve had serving the people of New York City, from responding to Hurricane Sandy to expanding universal pre-K, has required an intense coordination across different agencies, companies and nonprofits. That’s the same aggressive approach I’m going to take to lead a recovery for us all.”
