Image Credit: City Planning Commission
The latest move in his “City of Yes” campaign, Adams has nominated career land-use experts Rasmia Kirmani-Frye, David Gold, and Chris Yoon to high-ranking administrative roles. On June 15, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams nominated Rasmia Kirmani-Frye and David Gold to serve on the City Planning Commission and Chris Yoon to serve on the Board of Standards and Appeals. These nominations will now move forward to City Council for an official vote. If City Council approves, Kirmani-Frye and Gold will serve five-year terms on City Planning while Yoon will serve a six-year term with BSA.
Rasmia Kirmani-Frye
Rasmia Kirmani-Frye earned a B.A. in Urban Studies from the College of Wooster in Ohio, and an M.S. in Urban and Public Policy from The New School. She began her career as director of the Brownsville Partnership, a community-based organization, and went on to serve as director of the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) Office of Public-Private Partnerships. In 2016, Kirmani-Frye founded and served as the first president of the Fund for Public Housing.
Currently, Kirmani-Frye serves as interim executive director at Hester Street, an urban planning nonprofit. She also works as an independent consultant and as an adjunct professor at NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, teaching urban planning and urban policy courses. Kirmani-Frye works closely with the Ford Foundation on public housing transformation, and is developing a national network of social housing with Hester Street.
Expressing her excitement, Kirmani-Frye stated, “New York City is at a crucial moment, and in order to move forward, we must respond with creativity and a commitment to planning efforts that support inclusive transformation. I look forward to working with our diverse communities, partners, and the administration to ensure that the future of New York City represents all New Yorkers.”
David Gold
David Gold holds a B.S. in finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business and a J.D. from Cardozo School of Law, as well as a CERT certificate in cyber oversight from Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute. He is an honorary NYPD commissioner and honorary FDNY deputy chief, and has worked in real estate property management as a licensed broker. Gold worked as an analyst on Wall Street before founding his own consulting firm, AdvisIRy Partners Group. Gold is also vice chairman of the Centurion Foundation, a nonprofit supporting law enforcement and their families, and sits on the Metropolitan Commercial Bank’s board of directors.
Gold announced, “I am thrilled to be considered for this important position and look forward to working collaboratively with Mayor Adams, Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer, the commission, and the broader city leadership to advance the success of our city, while emphasizing inclusion and economic improvement for all.”
Chris Yoon
Architect Chris Yoon earned a B.S. in architectural engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and is now a registered architect in New York State. She has worked as a project architect at Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP and as a real estate development professional with Dunn Development Corp LLP. Yoon currently works as an associate at the New York office of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), where she has overseen the office’s first two affordable housing projects.
Yoon stated, “My diversity of experience in architecture, engineering, design, and development will guide me in this important role to comprehend objectively, interpret fairly, and ultimately uphold the intent of the building regulations that shape this incredible city.”
Mayor Adams shared, “I am thrilled to nominate these three highly capable individuals to join the team of the ‘City of Yes’. This team combines skills and expertise with a commitment to community engagement and partnership, and I hope the City Council will agree and confirm them promptly so we can ‘Get Stuff Done’ together.”
By: Cassidy Strong (Cassidy is a CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2024.)
Mayor’s Office: Mayor Adams Nominates Rasmia Kirmani-Frye, David Gold to City Planning Commission, Crhis Yoon to Board of Standards and Appeals (June 15, 2022).