Laura R. Kavanagh (born 1981 or 1982) is an American government official who served as the 34th commissioner of the

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...

(FDNY). She was first woman to hold the position. Appointed by Mayor

Eric Adams Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and former police officer who has served as the 110th mayor of New York City since 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York City P ...

on October 27, 2022, Kavanagh oversaw the diversification of the FDNY applicant pool, including graduating the largest group of women in nearly three decades. Prior to her appointment as Fire Commissioner, Kavanagh spent several years with the FDNY, involved in the agency's response to major incidents including the Ebola outbreak of 2014 and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Kavanagh's tenure as commissioner was met with opposition by rank-and-file members of the FDNY based on her relatively young age, lack of any experience as a first responder and allegations of her department's demoting older and more experienced fire chiefs. Kavanagh resigned on August 7, 2024.

Early life

Kavanagh grew up near San Francisco, the only child of a public school teacher and a telephone company worker. Upon graduation from Whittier College in California with a BA in Political Science and International Relations, she moved to New York City and lived in all five boroughs, managing and campaign consulting for non-profits, community-based organizations and unions. She earned a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

degree from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

's School for International and Public Affairs. Kavanagh completed the Executive Leaders Program at the

Naval Postgraduate School Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a Naval command with a graduate university mission, operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. The NPS mission is to provide "defense-focused graduate education, including clas ...

’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security, and the

Stanford Graduate School of Business The Stanford Graduate School of Business is the Postgraduate education, graduate business school of Stanford University, a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California. For several years it has been the most selective ...

’ Summer Institute.

Career

Kavanagh has held senior roles on Presidential, Mayoral, Congressional and local campaigns. She was a Special Assistant to Mayor

Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who was the List of mayors of New York City, 109th mayor of New York City, mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of t ...

, and during the

2012 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Bi ...

, she served as Deputy Director in Pennsylvania on Barack Obama's reelection campaign. She joined the FDNY in 2014, first as Director of External Affairs before her promotion as Assistant Commissioner for External Affairs several months later. In 2015, she was appointed Deputy Commissioner for Government Affairs and Special Programs, became First Deputy Commissioner in 2017 and served as acting Fire Commissioner in February 2022 after the retirement of Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. She has never served as a firefighter. An avid runner, Commissioner Kavanagh has completed two New York City Marathons and is a regular participant in the stair climbs that honor fallen first responders and their families. Commissioner Kavanagh was heckled at the NYC's 2024 St. Patrick’s Day Parade after her department vowed to go after Trump-supporting FDNY members who booed New York Attorney General Letitia James at a promotion ceremony. Department Chief John Hodgens issued a warning about an investigation by the Bureau of Investigation and urged those who participated to come clean. On July 13, 2024, Commissioner Kavanagh announced her resignation, intending to stay in her position to help with the transition until a suitable replacement is found.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kavanagh, Laura Commissioners of the New York City Fire Department Living people Whittier College alumni School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni Women in New York (state) politics 1982 births