New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday appointed Iris Rodriguez-Rosa as commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, making her the first Latina to hold this position.
Commissioner Rodriguez-Rosa is a NYC Parks veteran of nearly four decades, serving in different roles throughout the department during the course of her career; most recently as first deputy commissioner, where she oversaw the city’s lifeguards and helped rebuild the workforce despite national lifeguard shortages.
“I am excited and honored to assume the position as commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the greatest urban park system in the country with over 30,000 acres of parkland,” said Rodriguez-Rosa. “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.
Rodriguez-Rosa started her career organizing tenants and the community in Williamsburg in the late 1970s under the Federal Comprehensive Employment and Training Act program. She then joined public service, working for former Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden as a community board liaison and later, in 1979, became the district manager for Community Board 4 in Bushwick.
She began her career at NYC Parks in 1986, serving initially as director of community boards, working as an operations manager in Manhattan, and later serving as chief of recreation in the Public Programs Division in both the Bronx and Queens.
The mayor and Rodriguez-Rosa attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sunday at the Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights to celebrate the revamp of NYCHA complex playgrounds. The city invested $23 million to revitalize nearly three acres of NYCHA open space — including playgrounds, sports equipment, and seating areas — across three developments in Queens, two developments in the Bronx and one development in Brooklyn.
At Kingsborough Houses, two playgrounds were transformed; one 20,000-square-feet and another 16,000-squarefeet, with the addition of new play equipment, game tables, benches, spray showers and landscaping. Additionally, there are now new entrances from the sidewalk to make it easier for the public to access the amenities.
“Here in New York City, parks and playgrounds are not just a bonus, they are our backyards, where we walk our dogs, meet our friends, and take our children to play," Adams said. "Every family across the five boroughs should have a nice, clean place to take their child to play."
