<p>New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday appointed acting Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh to lead the department on a permanent basis, making her the first female commissioner in the 157-year history of the Fire Department of New York.</p>.<p>“Laura Kavanagh is a proven and tested leader, and I'm proud to announce her historic appointment today,” the Democratic mayor said.</p>.<p>Kavanagh, 40, has served as acting commissioner since the retirement of Commissioner Daniel Nigro in February. She will oversee a department of 17,000, including firefighters and emergency medical workers.</p>.<p>Her appointment as commissioner represents progress for a department seeking to diversify after decades as a white male bastion.</p>.<p>As of August there were 141 female firefighters in the FDNY, the most since a lawsuit forced the department to hire women as firefighters in the 1980s.</p>.<p>Kavanagh has never been a firefighter herself. She was a senior adviser to former Mayor Bill de Blasio, and a campaign staffer for de Blasio and former President Barack Obama, before joining the department in an administrative role in 2014. She was named first deputy commissioner in 2018.</p>.<p>As first deputy commissioner and acting commissioner, Kavanagh oversaw the department's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and its response to tragedies including a Bronx fire that killed 19.</p>.<p>She is a graduate of Whittier College in California and has a master's degree in public administration from Columbia University.</p>
<p>New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday appointed acting Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh to lead the department on a permanent basis, making her the first female commissioner in the 157-year history of the Fire Department of New York.</p>.<p>“Laura Kavanagh is a proven and tested leader, and I'm proud to announce her historic appointment today,” the Democratic mayor said.</p>.<p>Kavanagh, 40, has served as acting commissioner since the retirement of Commissioner Daniel Nigro in February. She will oversee a department of 17,000, including firefighters and emergency medical workers.</p>.<p>Her appointment as commissioner represents progress for a department seeking to diversify after decades as a white male bastion.</p>.<p>As of August there were 141 female firefighters in the FDNY, the most since a lawsuit forced the department to hire women as firefighters in the 1980s.</p>.<p>Kavanagh has never been a firefighter herself. She was a senior adviser to former Mayor Bill de Blasio, and a campaign staffer for de Blasio and former President Barack Obama, before joining the department in an administrative role in 2014. She was named first deputy commissioner in 2018.</p>.<p>As first deputy commissioner and acting commissioner, Kavanagh oversaw the department's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and its response to tragedies including a Bronx fire that killed 19.</p>.<p>She is a graduate of Whittier College in California and has a master's degree in public administration from Columbia University.</p>