Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As Sean Ryan awaits his inauguration Thursday as the next Mayor of Buffalo, his transition team has substantially completed the hiring of his administration at City Hall, filling more than 30 senior leadership roles.
The early progress reflects the Mayor-Elect’s commitment to preparedness, accountability, and a clear shift from the status quo at Buffalo City Hall.
"During the campaign, I promised Buffalo that we would do things differently," Ryan said in a statement on Wednesday. "The first step is building a new leadership team with fresh ideas, strong management experience, and a willingness to rethink the way city government operates."
Ryan emphasized the pace and quality of the hiring process would not have been possible without the work of a robust transition team.
"I’m deeply grateful to our transition team, including the nearly 70 volunteers who collectively put in thousands of hours of work," Ryan said. "Their commitment made it possible to walk into office on Jan. 1 with a government that’s ready to serve the people of Buffalo from Day 1."
In less than 60 days, the transition team screened more than 1,200 candidates for senior leadership roles, balancing urgency with a careful and comprehensive review process. With the transition team’s work completed, the Ryan administration will continue the hiring process for the few senior roles that remain vacant and finalize plans for the non-leadership positions that were to be filled after commissioners and deputy commissioners were in place.
Here is the list of appointments to the Ryan administration:
Executive:
- Thomas E. Baines, Esq. – Deputy Mayor
- Eugenio Russi – Deputy Mayor
- Ben Swanekamp – Deputy Mayor
- Maria Whyte – Deputy Mayor
- Gabrielle Harrington – Chief of Staff
- Laquitta Reid – Executive Assistant to the Mayor
- Ian Ott – Director of Communications
- Nick Beiling – Deputy Director of Communications
- Ariel Aberg-Riger – Director of Creative Strategy & Design
Administration and Finance:
- Jessica R. Brown, CPA – Commissioner of Administration, Finance Policy, and Urban Affairs
- Saran Askew – Director of Administration & Finance
- Denise Mlynarick – Director of the Treasury & Collections
- Nicole Swallow – Director of Purchase
- James Cross – Fleet Manager
Citizen Services:
- Oswaldo Mestre – Director of Citizen Services
Community Services:
- Danielle Roberts – Commissioner of Community Services
- Candace Moppins – Director of Senior Services
Emergency Services:
- Craig Macy – Interim Commissioner of Buffalo Police Department
- Daniel Pizarro – Commissioner of Buffalo Fire Department
- Jeffrey Stauffiger – Deputy Fire Commissioner for Operations
- Kenneth Peterson – Deputy Fire Commissioner for EMS
- Paul Eason – Deputy Fire Commissioner for Administration
Law:
- Rosa Alina Pizzi – Corporation Counsel
- Caitlin O'Neil – Senior Deputy Corporation Counsel
- Will Rossi – Deputy Corporation Counsel
- Rob Quinn – Director of Employee Relations
Parking:
- Justin Booth – Commissioner of Parking
Public Works:
- Nolan Skipper – Commissioner of Public Works
- Marie Carone – Senior Deputy Commissioner of Public Works
- Shanntina Moore – Acting Deputy Commissioner of Buildings
- Marc Pope – Director of Engineering Operations
- Jennifer Jacobs – Director of Street Sanitation
- Danielle Rizzo – Director of Special Events
- Alex Buller – City Engineer
Strategic Planning:
- Crystal Middleton – Director of Planning
- Kate Lockhart – Director of Strategic Initiatives
- Yvonne Bailey – Acting Director of Real Estate
Additional appointments will be announced in the coming weeks as the transition process concludes.