Maria Torres-Springer

Maria Torres-Springer (born January 24, 1977) is an American government official and former nonprofit executive. Torres-Springer is the first Filipina to serve as First Deputy Mayor of New York City. Previously the vice president for U.S. programs at the Ford Foundation, she has been city's Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce; Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services; and Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). She was also the president and CEO of the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Torres-Springer was the First Deputy Mayor of New York City from October 8, 2024 to March 14, 2025 when she resigned. On November 5, 2025, mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani named her a co-chair to his transition team.

Early life and education Torres-Springer was born in Los Angeles, California, to parents from the Philippines: her father Manny from Pampanga, himself the youngest of 23, and her mother Elsa from Batangas. She lived in the Philippines with two siblings from ages nine to fourteen after her mother died. Though Manny Torres worked multiple jobs, Torres-Springer was the second of six: She has five sisters and one brother. The first to attend college in her family, she was able to attend because her parents pooled all of their savings. in 2005.

Career Torres-Springer was a senior policy advisor in the office of the deputy mayor of New York City for economic development and rebuilding. She was the chief operating officer of Friends of the High Line. She worked as the executive vice president and chief of staff of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). In 2025 she returned to the foundation as a senior fellow.

De Blasio administration While Bill de Blasio was the Mayor of New York City, Torres-Springer served as the commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services before becoming the president and CEO of the NYCEDC in June 2015. In those roles, she redeveloped the Spofford Juvenile Center into an arts center with affordable housing. Torres-Springer also oversaw the Far Rockaway, Queens neighborhood plan. During her time in the De Blasio administration, Torres-Springer worked under Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen.

Adams administration In December 2021, then-New York City mayor-elect Eric Adams named her the incoming deputy mayor for economic and workforce development. Torres-Springer and Meera Joshi are the first Asian Americans to serve as deputy mayors of New York City. They assumed those positions effective January 1, 2022.

In October 2024, Torres-Springer was appointed First Deputy Mayor of New York City after the resignation of Sheena Wright. Torres-Springer announced that she would resign from the role on February 17, 2025, leaving office on March 14 after federal prosecutors sought to drop Adams' federal indictment for corruption.

Mamdani administration In November 2025, Torres-Springer was named a co-chair of mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's transition team. Torres-Springer speaks some Tagalog and Kapampangan.