Acting Commissioner Tom Foley. Image Credit: NYC DDC.
Foley is a 23-year veteran of the agency. On October 28, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Tom Foley as the Acting Commissioner for the Department of Design and Construction (DDC). The appointment comes as Commissioner Jamie Torres-Springer, who had been appointed in March, prepares to depart on November 12th to become the President of Construction and Development at the MTA.
Incoming Acting Commissioner Foley is a licensed professional engineer who received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Manhattan College. He is a Certified Construction Manager and an Envision Sustainability Professional. In 1992, he joined the City’s Department of Environmental Protection as a Resident Engineer, where he supervised capital water and sewer projects. In 1998, Foley joined the Department of Design and Construction as an Engineer-in-Charge, where he supervised a team of Resident Engineers, and approved design modifications of engineering structures and systems.
After 9/11, Foley worked as a Project Manager for the agency’s World Trade Disaster Recovery and Debris Removal Project. His work on the $500 million project included identifying inefficiencies, reviewing staffing and procedures, and analyzing how labor and equipment was used.
Foley’s other titles within the agency have included Deputy Director, Director, and Assistant Commissioner in the Division of Infrastructure. He worked on the activation of Water Tunnel 3. Most recently, Foley was named Deputy Commissioner of Public Buildings in 2017. As part of the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Foley led DDC project teams to build field hospitals, testing and vaccination sites and community clinics.
Mayor de Blasio stated, “Tom Foley has delivered decades of tireless leadership to our city – including in some of our darkest hours. His expertise and creativity make him the perfect choice to lead this agency as it fuels our city’s recovery. Tom will build on Commissioner Torres-Springer’s record of success, and I’m looking forward to seeing him manage the exciting projects this city needs.”
Incoming Acting Commissioner Foley stated, “I’m very excited to lead a group of superior designers and project managers as we tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the City. DDC already has the great people – my goal is to support them any way I can so they can do the best job for the people of New York.”
Outgoing Commissioner Torres-Springer stated, “Tom Foley is a tremendous professional who gets results, who knows how the agency works down to the finest details and who has the full respect of the staff. Leading DDC has been the honor of my professional career and I am heartened to know that Tom Foley will take the reins.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)