Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Francois brings more than 15 years of experience in evidence-based community safety initiatives, cross-government coordination and executive leadership
Mayor signs Executive Order creating first-ever Office of Community Safety, a major step toward core campaign commitment
NEW YORK – Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani appointed Renita Francois as Deputy Mayor for Community Safety and signed an Executive Order to create the first-ever Mayor’s Office of Community Safety.
Francois brings more than 15 years of strategic and operational experience spanning major city agencies, nonprofit advocacy organizations and think tanks. Most recently, she served as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Program Officer at Tides Advocacy, where she set the organization’s long-term strategy, oversaw millions of dollars in grants and managed relationships with political leaders and community organizations nationwide.
Francois previously served as Executive Director of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety within the Office of Criminal Justice under Mayor Bill de Blasio, where she oversaw more than $500 million in investments in neighborhood safety initiatives—particularly in communities experiencing high-crime—and led strategic efforts across more than a dozen city agencies.
She is a respected leader in the criminal justice space, advising citywide campaigns such as Campaign Zero and providing policy insight to leading institutions including the Vera Institute for Justice.
The Office of Community Safety marks a major step toward fulfilling Mayor Mamdani’s pledge to create a Department of Community Safety, a whole-of-government approach to crime prevention and public safety that addresses gun violence prevention, mental health and substance abuse treatment, hate crime prevention, victims services, and subway safety.
The Office will focus on addressing the root causes of crime and violence, streamlining and expanding evidence-based crime prevention programs and strengthening wraparound services so no New Yorker is left behind.
The Executive Order establishes the Office of Community Safety, to be led by a Commissioner who reports directly to the Deputy Mayor. The Office will develop citywide community safety strategies and coordinate the work of the Office of Crime Victim Services, Office to Prevent Gun Violence, Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes and Office of Community Mental Health.
It will also coordinate citywide mental health crisis response programs, including B-HEARD, and convene interagency community safety committees, to ensure New Yorkers receive appropriate care in moments of crisis
City Hall Rotunda
Lower Manhattan
March 19, 2026
Francois brings more than 15 years of experience in evidence-based community safety initiatives, cross-government coordination and executive leadership
Mayor signs Executive Order creating first-ever Office of Community Safety, a major step toward core campaign commitment
NEW YORK – Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani appointed Renita Francois as Deputy Mayor for Community Safety and signed an Executive Order to create the first-ever Mayor’s Office of Community Safety.
Francois brings more than 15 years of strategic and operational experience spanning major city agencies, nonprofit advocacy organizations and think tanks. Most recently, she served as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Program Officer at Tides Advocacy, where she set the organization’s long-term strategy, oversaw millions of dollars in grants and managed relationships with political leaders and community organizations nationwide.
Francois previously served as Executive Director of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety within the Office of Criminal Justice under Mayor Bill de Blasio, where she oversaw more than $500 million in investments in neighborhood safety initiatives—particularly in communities experiencing high-crime—and led strategic efforts across more than a dozen city agencies.
She is a respected leader in the criminal justice space, advising citywide campaigns such as Campaign Zero and providing policy insight to leading institutions including the Vera Institute for Justice.
The Office of Community Safety marks a major step toward fulfilling Mayor Mamdani’s pledge to create a Department of Community Safety, a whole-of-government approach to crime prevention and public safety that addresses gun violence prevention, mental health and substance abuse treatment, hate crime prevention, victims services, and subway safety.
The Office will focus on addressing the root causes of crime and violence, streamlining and expanding evidence-based crime prevention programs and strengthening wraparound services so no New Yorker is left behind.
The Executive Order establishes the Office of Community Safety, to be led by a Commissioner who reports directly to the Deputy Mayor. The Office will develop citywide community safety strategies and coordinate the work of the Office of Crime Victim Services, Office to Prevent Gun Violence, Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes and Office of Community Mental Health.
It will also coordinate citywide mental health crisis response programs, including B-HEARD, and convene interagency community safety committees, to ensure New Yorkers receive appropriate care in moments of crisis
City Hall Rotunda
Lower Manhattan
March 19, 2026
