Mayor Eric Adams will name Laura Kavanagh as his first FDNY commissioner, elevating a woman to the head of the fire department for the first time in its 157-year history.
Kavanagh, who currently serves as acting head of the 17,000-person agency, is set to be announced as the permanent commissioner on Thursday, a City Hall official confirmed to Gothamist. The news was first reported by the Daily News.
Kavanagh joined the agency in an external affairs role in 2014, quickly moving up through leadership positions. She became the acting commissioner in February, following the retirement of long-time chief Daniel Nigro.
Prior to joining the department, she worked on election campaigns for both Mayor Bill de Blasio and President Barack Obama, among other management and consulting roles.
She will become the first female leader of the nation’s largest municipal fire department at a time when the agency is under growing pressure to diversify. Currently, more than three-quarters of firefighters are white men, and less than 1% are women, according to city data.
At a recent City Council hearing, Kavanagh said she supported a legislative effort to bring more women and minorities to the agency – while acknowledging structural challenges around recruitment that have stalled previous efforts.
Kavangh’s lack of rank-and-file firefighter experience is not uncommon among New York City FDNY commissioners.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s pick for fire commissioner, Nicholas Scoppetta, was a former prosecutor without FDNY experience. Mayor Rudy Giuliani picked Howard Safir, a member of the U.S. Marshals service, as his first fire commissioner.
