New York's Fire Department Has Appointed Its First Female Commissioner
On Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that he had permanently nominated Laura Kavanagh, the department's interim fire commissioner, to the position. Kavanagh is the first woman to hold the position in the Fire Department's 157-year history.
“Laura Kavanagh is a proven and tested leader, and I’m proud to announce her historic appointment today,” said Adams.
Since Commissioner Daniel Nigro retired in February, Kavanagh, at age 40, has been serving as acting commissioner. She'll be in charge of a department that employs 17,000 people, including firefighters and EMTs.
In a department dominated by white men for decades, her appointment as commissioner is a step in the right direction.
One hundred forty-one women were serving as firefighters in FDNY last August, the most since a lawsuit in the 1980s compelled the agency to open its ranks to women for the first time. Kavanagh's career has never included working in the fire service.
Before taking on an administrative post with the department in 2014, she served as a top counsellor to former Mayor Bill de Blasio and on the campaigns of both him and former President Obama. The year 2018 marked her promotion to the position of first deputy commissioner.
Kavanagh handled the department's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other disasters, such as a fire in the Bronx that claimed the lives of 19 people, while serving as first deputy commissioner and acting commissioner.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts from California's Whittier College and her Master of Public Administration at Columbia University.