Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today appointed Erin Pilnyak as Director of the Mayor's Office of Risk Management and Compliance (MORMC). The office focuses on identifying systemic and agency-specific risks, operational vulnerabilities, and instances of fraud and inefficiency before they grow into costly audits, investigations, and litigation.
In her capacity as Director of MORMC, Pilnyak will also serve as the Citywide Lead Compliance Officer, spearheading the administration's efforts to remediate and eliminate the presence of lead, alongside agencies like the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).
"New Yorkers deserve a city government that delivers effectively and that is as careful with money - and resources - as they are. Since day one of our administration, we have been diligent about identifying inefficiencies and failures, eliminating redundancies, and working with city agencies to improve service delivery while reducing risks and costs," said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. "With the appointment of Erin, City Hall has a leader committed to delivering public excellence, modernizing the work of government, and driving down lead exposure across the five boroughs."
"Risk management and compliance is about ensuring the gears of government continue to turn, efficiently and responsibly. With Erin Pilnyak at the helm of the Mayor's Office of Risk Management and Compliance, this will remain a top priority for this administration," said Chief Counsel Ramzi Kassem. "From combatting lead poisoning in our pipes and paint to making sure our agencies are spending money responsibly and without redundancy, Erin will work to extend this new era of governance to the day-to-day operations of city government."
"Effective government is not just about responding when something goes wrong, but building the systems to prevent problems before they happen," said MORMC Director Erin Pilnyak. "MORMC has a unique citywide vantage point that allows us to work across agencies to identify emerging risks, strengthen operations, and address systemic issues before they result in service failures, unnecessary costs, or harm to New Yorkers. I'm excited to build on Mayor Mamdani's commitment to making government work better by partnering with agencies to strengthen accountability, improve how we deliver services, and ultimately deliver better outcomes for New Yorkers."
The Mayor's Office of Risk Management and Compliance focuses on employing data-driven strategies to cut down on the misallocation of resources, operational vulnerabilities, systemic risks, unjustified or fraudulent expenses, and inefficiencies that inhibit service delivery. Pilnyak will report to the Chief Counsel.
Mayor Mamdani has been relentless in his pursuit of targeted efficiencies and excellence in delivery for New Yorkers. On day 29 of his administration, the Mayor signed an executive order requiring every city agency appoint a Chief Savings Officer (CSO). CSOs successfully identified $1.77 billion in savings - including $94 million saved from pursuing better contract rates and terminating unnecessary contracts and $24 million saved from unused office space and consolidating agency leases.
In May, Mayor Mamdani appointed the Commission of Government Efficiency (COGE), which released 5 ballot proposals designed to make government work better, faster and more efficiently for New Yorkers. The Mayor also announced Overhauling Procedures and Expanding Navigation (OPEN), a package of more than 50 regulatory reforms to reduce paperwork and bureaucratic burdens for the City's roughly 180,000 small businesses; advanced the SPEED (Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development) report to cut red tape for housing construction; and launched Public Interest Technology teams, deploying technologists to solve public challenges through modern, in-house digital solutions.
Pilnyak's appointment as Citywide Lead Compliance Officer follows the Mamdani administration's aggressive and bold approach to lead remediation. In July, the Mayor announced a $10.2 million investment in complete and permanent abatement this fall of lead-based paint at 63 additional child care centers on NYCHA campuses across the city. Just last month, the administration announced new initiatives to curb lead in school drinking water, including redoubled remediation efforts and testing every year instead of once every three years.
About Erin Pilnyak
Erin Pilnyak brings extensive experience at the intersection of government operations, public safety, risk management, and organizational reform. Prior to joining MORMC, she advised law enforcement agencies and government entities across the country on complex organizational assessments, accountability systems, policy development, and reform implementation, including work with the Aurora Police Department in Colorado and other jurisdictions navigating significant operational and institutional change.
She previously served as Assistant Deputy Commissioner in the New York City Police Department's Risk Management Bureau, where she worked on initiatives to identify and mitigate organizational risk and strengthen accountability. She also served as Deputy Director in the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, working on public safety policy and criminal justice initiatives.
An attorney by training, Pilnyak began her career as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, where she specialized in sexual assault prosecutions and later served in the Office's Crime Strategies Unit. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Cornell Law School.
