Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani may be taking office next year, but he is already showing that he means business. Just a few short hours after his dizzying win on Tuesday night, Mamdani, began the next morning with some serious work and feminist energy!
On Wednesday, Mamdani announced an all-female team of co-chairs for his transition team. The 5-member team also includes South Asian American Lina Khan – a former federal trade commission chair and a close ally of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
His all-women team, led by Elana Leopold, features some of the very experienced names from the Democratic administrations.
On Wednesday, speaking at the press conference, Mamdani said, “In the coming months, I and my team will build a city hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign. We will form an administration that is equal parts capable and compassionate, driven by integrity and willing to work just as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home.”
Here’s all you need to know about Mamdani’s dream transition team:
Lina Khan, Co-Chair Mayoral Transition Team
Lina Khan comes with a formidable experience for the job. She served as the Federal Trade commission (FTC) chair from 2021-2025. She has some impressive work under her belt as during the Biden administration, she is known for going after corporate giants, and enforcing antitrust laws. She also fought to lower prescription drug costs. Nominated by Joe Biden, she became the youngest ever FTC chair in 2021.
READ: Zohran Mamdani elected New York’s first Indian American, Muslim mayor (
Khan was born in London to British-Pakistani parents. She moved to the United States when she was 11. She attended the public school in New York and studied political science at Williams College in Massachusetts. Khan resigned almost immediately after President Donald Trump took office earlier this year.
Melanie Hartzog, Director & co-chair
A former New York City deputy mayor, Hartzog, will be serving as co-chair of the transition team and the team’s director. She is very well versed with the City Hall and was appointed as the deputy mayor for health and human services by former Mayor Bill de Blasio. In the past, she has also held important roles such as the director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget. She has to her credit overseeing the largest municipal budget in the country. Hartzog was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Long Island. Hartzog experienced poverty growing up and at one time had to live in a motel for two years as her family faced housing issues. Her challenging experiences according to her paved way for her interest in human services.
Elana Leopold, Executive Director, Transition team
A political strategist, Leopold, is a project leader with deep experience across government, campaigns. She is the founder and President of Leopold Impact Advisory, where she partners with philanthropic, nonprofit, and corporate clients to build smart strategies, navigate political and policy landscapes, and manage complex initiatives from concept to execution. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President of Government Relations at Moonshot Strategies, leading advocacy and stakeholder engagement for social impact clients, and as Founding Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Seneca Strategies, a women-owned political consulting firm based in New York. She also co-founded The Broad Room, a grassroots network, empowering women in civic engagement, and earlier served as Finance Director for de Blasio 2017, overseeing fundraising and external partnerships for a successful citywide campaign.
READ: Mamdani’s victory in New York a political earthquake (
Grace Bonilla, Transition Team
Bonilla is president and CEO of United Way of New York City. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President for Latin America at Covenant House International, advancing youth and social justice programs across the region. Earlier, as Administrator of the NYC Human Resources Administration, she oversaw the nation’s largest social services agency, managing 14,000 staff and programs supporting over three million New Yorkers. During the pandemic, she also directed the NYC Racial Inclusion and Equity Task Force, coordinating cross-agency efforts to address health disparities, food insecurity, and economic inequities in the city’s hardest-hit neighborhoods.
Maria Torres-Springer, co-chair
A former first deputy mayor at Eric Adams’ administration, Torres-Springer resigned earlier this year. Torres-Springer has held several roles in municipal government, including deputy mayor for housing, economic development and workforce, and Department of Housing Preservation & Development commissioner. Most recently she served as First Deputy Mayor of New York City (October 2024–March 2025), she became the first Filipina to hold the position. Her career spans key leadership roles shaping the city’s housing, economic, and workforce development policies including Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce, President and CEO of the NYC Economic Development Corporation, and Commissioner of both the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of Small Business Services. Prior to her deputy mayoral role, she was Vice President for U.S. Programs at the Ford Foundation, where she advanced initiatives promoting equity and opportunity nationwide.