Jessica Tisch named NYC Sanitation Commissioner

She led NYPD into the high-tech age

April 18, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Jessica Tisch. Photo courtesy of Mayor's office

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced the appointment of Jessica Tisch as commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY).

Tisch brings over a decade of experience with government agencies to her job. As deputy commissioner of information technology at the NYPD, Tisch led the department into the 21st century — modernizing systems to strengthen public safety and improve communications.

As DSNY commissioner, Tisch will manage the city’s waste collection, recycling, and disposal, as well as cleaning and snow removal for approximately 6,500 miles of city streets.

“Jessica’s knowledge, experience, and unwavering commitment to New York City cannot be overstated,” said Adams. “Put plainly, Jessica is a ‘Get Stuff Done’ leader, who has delivered continuous results on behalf of all New Yorkers throughout her career. From revolutionizing policing technology in the NYPD, to overseeing critical pandemic programs to support New Yorkers in need, Jessica’s work has touched millions.”

“Clean, safe neighborhoods will power New York City’s recovery, and innovations in composting, recycling, and collection will secure our future,” said Tisch. “The Department of Sanitation is essential to building the comeback New Yorkers deserve, and I thank Mayor Adams and Deputy Mayor Joshi for entrusting me to helm New York’s Strongest.”

Jessica Tisch was appointed DoITT commissioner and citywide chief information officer in December 2019. As commissioner, she ran the largest municipal IT organization in the country, with a wide portfolio, ranging from public safety to human services to economic development, as well as New York City 311.

Tisch served as a core member of the team that managed the city’s COVID-19 pandemic response — building and managing critical programs that tangibly served New Yorkers, including the city’s vaccination system. The results included:

More than 4 million vaccination appointments scheduled through the Vax4NYC platform,
50 million calls processed through the 311 Call Center,
2 million cases and contacts processed through the contact tracing system,
2 million downloads of the NYC Covid Safe app,
Half a million New York City public school students doing schoolwork remotely during the darkest days of the pandemic on city-issued iPads,
300 million meals delivered to food insecure New Yorkers through the GetFood program,
600,000 $100 incentives claimed by New Yorkers through the vaccine incentive portal, and
Tens of thousands of marriage licenses and wedding ceremonies performed online.

Prior to joining DoITT, Tisch served as deputy commissioner of information technology at the NYPD, where she spearheaded efforts to use technology to transform the NYPD’s fundamental business processes, including how officers are dispatched and respond to 911 calls, take crime reports, investigate, and search for wanted or missing persons.

Tisch also managed the implementation of the NYPD’s body-worn camera program and drove additional efforts to improve transparency and public access, including creating online platforms to deliver timely crime and traffic statistics and implementing secure systems to allow people to access vehicle accident reports, pistol permits, and Crime Stoppers information.

“Jessica Tisch will do a great job as the city’s next commissioner of sanitation,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “She has the managerial and governmental experience, the energy, and that New York can-do attitude that will keep DSNY humming. I wish her all the best.”

“Jessica Tisch ‘Gets Stuff Done,’” said former NYPD Commissioner William J. Bratton. “She has the quality of leadership, the creativity to imagine how to do things that have never been done before, and the management ability to make those things happen. At NYPD, Jessie led change that most in the industry thought would never be possible, and she did it at the largest police department in the country.”

“I welcome Jessica Tisch to the Department of Sanitation,” said Kathryn Garcia, former NYC sanitation commissioner. “Through her work at the NYPD, DoITT, and during the pandemic, she has fearlessly tackled complex problems and delivered for New Yorkers.”

Tisch began her public service career in 2008, when she joined the NYPD. She is a graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Business School, and is a lifelong New Yorker.