BUFFALO — Mayor-Elect Sean Ryan today announced that his transition team has substantially completed the hiring it was charged with, filling more than 30 senior leadership roles ahead of his January 1 inauguration. The early progress reflects the Mayor-Elect’s commitment to preparedness, accountability, and a clear shift from the status quo at City Hall.
“During the campaign, I promised Buffalo that we would do things differently,” Ryan said. “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 that 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 January 1 with a government that’s ready to serve the people of Buffalo from day one.”
Transition Team Co-Chair Trini Ross said the team focused on building a process that was both thorough and forward-looking.
“Our goal was to identify leaders who not only had the right experience, but who understood the responsibility of public service and the opportunity ahead for Buffalo,” Ross said. “This process was deliberate, rigorous, and grounded in the Mayor-Elect’s vision for effective, ethical, and responsive government.”
Co-Chair Dr. Marie Cannon highlighted the scale of the transition effort and the people who made it possible.
“The volunteers who stepped forward for this transition gave an extraordinary amount of their time and expertise, and their work deserves real recognition,” Dr. Cannon said. “Because of their dedication, the Mayor-Elect is entering office with a leadership team prepared to meet the moment and deliver for Buffalo residents.”
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.
A list of appointments to the Ryan administration can be found below. Additional appointments will be announced in the coming weeks as the transition process concludes.
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 & 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 PlanningCrystal Middleton – Director of Planning
Kate Lockhart – Director of Strategic Initiatives
Yvonne Bailey – Acting Director of Real Estate
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