NYC has a new commissioner of its public parks, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Sunday.
Adams on June 1 appointed Bronx Borough Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa to lead the citywide public parks system. The appointment comes after previous NYC Parks commissioner Sue Donoghue announced last month that she was leaving her post after nearly four years on the job.
“She is the first Latina to serve in this role,” Adams said of the new appointment. “No one is more fitting to serve in this role, and we want to thank our previous parks commissioner, Sue Donoghue, for her commitment, and we want to continue that success.”
Rodriguez-Rosa has worked for the department since 1986. During her career, she served in various department roles, most recently as first deputy commissioner. In this role, she oversaw the city’s lifeguards and helped rebuild the workforce in the face of a national lifeguard shortage, Adams explained.
“I am excited and honored to assume the position as commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the greatest urban park system in the country with over 30,000 acres of parkland,” Rodriguez-Rosa said. “Parks are the greenspaces that serve as a great equalizer in our city and ensure everyone can get outside and enjoy our nature areas, playgrounds, beaches, pools, and recreation centers. I thank Mayor Adams for this appointment and look forward to working with him to continue to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers.”
During the announcement at the NYC Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights, Adams said the city just completed a $23 million investment to revitalize nearly three acres of public housing open space.
As part of Rodriguez-Rosa’s appointment, the mayor cut the ribbon on two renovated playgrounds at the Kingsborough Houses.
“We know that NYC parks are not just greenspaces,” he said. “They are backyards. They are places where we play with our children, walk our pets, where we meet friends and take our families out together.”
The two renovated playgrounds—one 20,000 square feet and another 16,000 square feet—have new play equipment, game tables, benches, spray showers, and landscaping. NYC Parks also created new entrances from the sidewalk to make it easier for the public to access the amenities.
The announcement was part of Adams’ newly launched We Outside Summer initiative, which includes a series of announcements, events, investments, and new programming across the five boroughs.
