New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams on Dec. 20 announced the appointment of five deputy mayors, including Indian American attorney Meera Joshi.

“For us to ensure that NYC recovers quickly while addressing the inequalities that plagued us well before COVID-19 struck, we must have top leadership that can both deliver for and is representative of New Yorkers. I'm proud to introduce 5 history-making Deputy Mayors today,” Adams tweeted.

As Deputy Mayor for Operations, Joshi will ensure that New York City is able to respond in real time to meet and exceed the needs of every community and be a model of excellence for all urban centers, noted Adams.

Joshi was the acting administrator since January for the Federal Motor Carrier and Safety Administration.

As previously reported in India-West, Joshi is an attorney with over 16 years of experience leading government oversight agencies. She was chair and CEO of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, the nation’s largest for-hire transportation regulator where she spearheaded novel Vision Zero campaigns using data tools to keep high risk drivers and unsafe vehicles off the road, her bio notes.

Joshi also led landmark policy, including establishing robust open transportation data standards for app-based providers; enacting the nation’s first for-hire driver pay protection program and providing broad access to for-hire transportation for passengers who use wheelchairs, it said.

Prior to transportation regulation, Joshi was the inspector general for New York City’s Department of Corrections, responsible for investigation of corruption and criminality at all levels of New York City’s jail operations and the first deputy executive director of New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board, leading investigations of police misconduct, her bio adds.

In addition to her government positions, she served as general manager for the New York Office of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants, and was a visiting scholar at New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy.

She was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and holds a B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

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