Noel Hidalgo is executive director of BetaNYC, a nonprofit dedicated to helping New Yorkers access civic information and technology.
Hidalgo’s advocacy has centered on public records access, government data systems, and transparency reforms, which may seem like innocuous administrative functions but can make or break the success of affordability-related initiatives the administration has said it wants to implement.
His committee role also suggests that administrative transparency and civic-tech modernization are parts of the broader transition conversation about government functionality.
Nicholas Bloom was appointed to provide expertise on housing policy and is a professor at Hunter College and the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center with a focus on urban history, public institutions, and civic life.
Bloom’s academic work explores how cities organize shared resources and public space, drawing on historical analysis of urban governance – a fit for Mamdani’s agenda rooted in socialism. His scholarship on institutional structures and urban development is part of his public academic profile, though he is not a traditional political figure outside of academic and advisory circles.
Housing affordability is one of the central pillars of Mamdani’s stated agenda, and the Committee on Housing is designed to shape early recommendations and potential staffing around housing issues. Serving on this committee, Bloom provides context from historical and institutional perspectives that can inform how to solve deep-seated systemic problems with housing policy.
James Davis is president of the Professional Staff Congress of CUNY, which represents 30,000 faculty and staff across the City University of New York and City University Research Foundation system. Davis’s career is rooted in labor advocacy and higher education policy, and he has been actively involved in PSC organizing and political engagement, particularly around progressive labor issues.
Education quality and youth development intersect with affordability and worker opportunities—core themes in Mamdani’s agenda. Davis’s role on the Committee on Youth and Education places a labor-aligned voice in discussions about how the transition approaches educational policy and staffing, especially for one of the largest public university systems in the country. His committee work connects labor perspectives on campus governance and workforce conditions to the citywide policy planning process.
Maurice Vann is the academic director of campus honors at Lehman College in the Bronx, part of the CUNY system, and participates in community advocacy and academic life.
The Community Safety committee is focused on rethinking institutional approaches to public safety and community well-being. Community safety planning is a key part of Mamdani’s transition priorities, especially given public debates around policing, non-police responses, and social services support—and more so in light of his decision to retain NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch in her position.
Vann’s participation aligns with the administration’s intent to include voices that bridge academic work and grassroots engagement in safety discussions, but the deeply entrenched politics between 1 Police Plaza and City Hall could prove an impediment.
However, his role underscores how the transition structures committees to incorporate diverse expertise in shaping policy direction.
Celina Su is a professor at the CUNY Graduate Center and Brooklyn College whose research focuses on participatory democracy, civic engagement, and public involvement in government.
Su’s academic work examines how communities engage with public institutions to influence policy, often exploring mechanisms like participatory budgeting and community oversight.
In light of his victory coming on the backs of community organizers, this committee is a new advisory group unique to Mamdani’s mayoral transition team. The committee will look directly at how grassroots and community-based engagement can inform governance. Su’s expertise in participatory democratic processes positions her to contribute to planning that prioritizes community input and accountability in early policy formation.
Chaumtoli Huq is a professor at the CUNY School of Law and a civil rights attorney with experience in labor and immigrant rights advocacy, particularly for the Bangladeshi community in the city, which played a key role in Mamdani’s victory. The Worker Justice Committee is one of the transition’s newly formed advisory bodies, focused on worker rights, economic fairness, and labor policy, reflecting Mamdani’s political philosophy.
Worker justice has been a recurring theme not just in Mamdani’s campaign but also in his early political life, especially in discussions about affordability and labor protections. Huq’s role on this committee places a legal and advocacy perspective directly within policy discussions, helping shape early transition recommendations.
Stephani Luce is a professor at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies and the CUNY Graduate Center whose research focuses on labor economics, low-wage work, and worker power. Luce has published extensively on wage policy, labor standards, and workplace rights, and has advised labor organizations and policymakers in those areas.
Economic development and workforce planning are central to discussions about affordability, job quality, and equitable growth—core priorities highlighted by the transition’s policy focus. Luce’s place on this committee brings academic and evidence-based labor expertise into deliberations on economic and workforce policy.
