Leadership at NYC Parks

830 Fifth Ave
New York, NY, 10065

(212) 360-1305

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Iris Rodriguez-Rosa most recently served as first deputy commissioner for NYC Parks, where she oversaw the revitalization and growth of the lifeguard workforce throughout a nationwide lifeguard shortage and worked to establish the Office of Marine Vessel Disposal within NYC Parks.   

Rodriguez-Rosa started her career organizing tenants and the community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the late 1970s under the Federal Comprehensive Employment and Training Act program. She then joined public service, working for former Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden as a community board liaison and later, in 1979, became the district manager for Community Board 4 in Bushwick, Brooklyn. 

Rodriguez-Rosa began her career at NYC Parks in 1986, serving initially as director of community boards, working as an operations manager in Manhattan, and later serving as chief of recreation in the Public Programs Division in both the Bronx and Queens.  

In June 2015, Rodriguez-Rosa was appointed to serve as the Bronx borough parks commissioner. In this role, she guided and supported the formation of the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance in 2019 by merging the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park and the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy. She championed the Orchard Beach Pavilion, and helped execute countless playground renovations for the benefits of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers across the city.