Ribbon-cutting of the new playground outside of the Kingsborough Houses in Brooklyn with the new Parks Commissioner, Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.
On June 1, 2025, Mayor Eric Adams appointed Iris Rodriguez-Rosa as the new Parks Commissioner. She is the first Latina to hold this position, and her appointment follows a long career in public service.
Rodriguez-Rosa began her career through community and tenant organizing in Williamsburg in the late 1970s. She later worked for former Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden as a community board liaison and eventually became the district manager for Brooklyn Community Board 4.
In 1986, she joined NYC Parks in 1986 as director of community boards. She also worked as an operations manager in Manhattan, and the Chief of Recreation in the Public Programs Division in the Bronx and Queens. In 2015, she was appointed Bronx Borough Parks Commissioner. In this role, she worked with the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park and Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy to merge and become the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance. She also worked on the Orchard Beach Pavilion.
Most recently, she served as the First Deputy Commissioner for NYC Parks. In this role, she oversaw the city’s lifeguards and helped the agency navigate a national lifeguard shortage. She also helped establish the Office of Marine Vessel Disposal within the agency.
Parks Commissioner Rodriguez-Rosa stated, “I am excited and honored to assume the position as commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the greatest urban park system in the country with over 30,000 acres of parkland. Parks are the greenspaces that serve as a great equalizer in our city and ensure everyone can get outside and enjoy our nature areas, playgrounds, beaches, pools, and recreation centers. I thank Mayor Adams for this appointment and look forward to working with him to continue to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers.”
With the announcement of the appointment, the new commissioner joined Mayor Adams and New York City Housing Authority Lisa Bova-Hiatt to announce the completion of a $23 million investment to renovate almost three acres of NYCHA open space across three developments in Queens, two in the Bronx, and one in Brooklyn. The renovations, which include playgrounds, seating areas and upgrades to sports equipment were finalized with the ribbon-cutting of two renovated playgrounds at Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The renovations included new play equipment, game tables, spray showers, landscaping, benches, and new entrances from the sidewalk.
The other projects included in the $23 million investment were:
- Redfern Houses, Far Rockaway, Queens – Reconstructed playground, upgraded ball field, basketball and handball courts, fitness equipment for teens and adults, a grilling area, and new play equipment.
- Legacy Park at Pomonok Houses, Fresh Meadows, Queens – Sensory play equipment, fitness equipment, and new landscaping.
- Woodside Houses, Queens – New passive seating and landscaped area with game tables, benches and pathways.
- Watson Houses, the Bronx – New play equipment, game tables, benches, spray showers, landscaping, and adult fitness equipment.
- Sotomayor Houses, the Bronx – New play equipment, spray showers, benches, game tables, landscaping, and swings.
The upgrades were made with input from NYCHA residents. Six of the playgrounds will also be open for public use which will add park access within walking distance for another 10,000 New Yorkers.
Mayor Adams stated, “Iris Rodriguez-Rosa has served New Yorkers for her entire career, with an unwavering commitment to nurturing and growing our precious parks, ensuring they are available for all. I have full confidence that she will carry forward that dedication as NYC Parks commissioner, and we look forward to delivering all New Yorkers safer, cleaner parks across the five boroughs. Here in New York City, parks and playgrounds are not just a bonus, they are our backyards, where we walk our dogs, meet our friends, and take our children to play. Today’s announcement marks the completion of a $23 million investment to reimagine nearly three acres of open space across NYCHA sites and puts 10,000 more New Yorkers within walking distance of a park. Every family across the five boroughs should have a nice, clean place to take their child to play, and today we are one step closer to that reality.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)