Tascha Van Auken

Tascha Van Auken is an American political organizer and government official serving as the director of the Office of Mass Engagement for New York City under mayor Zohran Mamdani. She previously served as the field director for Mamdani's 2025 mayoral campaign, where she oversaw a volunteer operation credited with helping secure his electoral victory. Van Auken is a longtime organizer with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and has managed successful campaigns for New York state legislators Julia Salazar and Phara Souffrant Forrest.

Early life Van Auken grew up with an interest in the arts and theater. She attended Edward R. Murrow High School before going to Emerson College.

Career Beginning in 2005, Van Auken worked for the Blue Man Group for fifteen years. She started as a casting assistant before holding roles as a casting director and artistic direction manager. She was laid off from the company after three years during a downsizing but later returned to work in casting and training. Following the Obama campaign, she worked on a U.S. Senate runoff election in Georgia. During the 2022 election cycle, Van Auken served as the deputy campaigns director for the New York Working Families Party. She served as the campaign's field director, overseeing a large-scale operation that engaged between 90,000 and over 100,000 volunteers. On election night, Van Auken introduced mayor-elect Mamdani on stage before his victory speech.

In January 2026, mayor Mamdani signed an executive order creating the Office of Mass Engagement and appointed Van Auken as its director. The office was designed to consolidate previously siloed public engagement efforts, overseeing units such as the Public Engagement Unit, the Mayor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships, NYC Service, and the Civic Engagement Commission. Van Auken stated that her goal for the office was to build a government that included all New Yorkers.