Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today named Robert C. Lieber, the current President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, to be the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development.  Deputy Mayor Lieber will replace Daniel L. Doctoroff, who earlier this month announced his intent to leave City service.  Mayor Bloomberg also announced today that Deputy Mayor for Administration Edward Skyler is being given new responsibilities and is being appointed the Deputy Mayor for Operations.

"As Economic Development Corporation President, Bob Lieber helped reshape our City with an unprecedented range of projects in all five boroughs," Mayor Bloomberg said.  "His skills and experience in the private sector and in City government will serve him well as he fills some very big shoes here at City Hall." 

"Even before I became part of the team, I was enormously impressed by the breadth and the depth of the economic development Mayor Bloomberg and Dan Doctoroff were doing, and I am extremely thrilled about - and grateful for - the chance to come to City Hall at this exciting moment in the City's history," Lieber said.

In January 2007, Mayor Bloomberg appointed Lieber President of the Economic Development Corporation, after he led a pro bono team from Lehman Brothers that advised the City in its successful effort to work with the Port Authority and the State to renegotiate the World Trade Center site lease. 

Lieber will lead the City's economic development efforts and oversee and coordinate the operations of the Department of City Planning, the Economic Development Corporation, the Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting, the Department of Finance, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, the Business Integrity Commission, the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation, and the Department of Small Business Services.  Lieber will also serve as a liaison with City, State and Federal and other agencies responsible for the City's economic development and infrastructure, including: NYC & Company, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the Moynihan Station Development Corporation, the Hudson Yards Development Corporation, and the Coney Island Development Corporation.

As Economic Development Corporation President, Lieber helped shepherd the Jamaica, Queens rezoning to completion, drawing on the work of more than a dozen City agencies in one of the largest rezonings that New York City has ever done.  He helped develop the comprehensive rezoning plan for Coney Island and helped steer the City's efforts to create a new mixed-use neighborhood in Willets Point.  As Deputy Mayor, Lieber will continue his work on the development of Moynihan Station, the river-to-river rezoning of 125th Street in Harlem, the transformation of the Kingsbridge Armory, and the development of the site of the former US Naval Homeport in Staten Island for which the Economic Development Corporation released three Requests For Proposals in October.

Lieber previously served as Managing Director for the Private Equity division of Lehman Brothers, Inc., where he was responsible for originations for a $2.8 billion real estate merchant banking fund. Prior to that, he served as Group Head of Global Real Estate Investment Banking, Managing Director, and head of MBA recruiting at Lehman.  In 1999, and again in 2003, Lieber was recognized by Institutional Investor Magazine for "Deal of The Year," and he was named "Financier of the Year" in 2005 by Commercial Property News. Lieber holds a BA from the University of Colorado and a Masters of Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.  He is Vice Chairman of the Zell-Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School, and Trustee of the Urban Land Institute.  Lieber also acted as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School teaching Real Estate Capital Markets.

Lieber will officially start work as Deputy Mayor on January 8, 2008.  Mayor Bloomberg has asked Nat Leventhal, the Chair of the Mayor's Committee on Appointments, to lead the search with Deputy Mayor Lieber for a new president of the Economic Development Corporation.

Edward Skyler Appointed Deputy Mayor for Operations

Mayor Bloomberg also announced that Deputy Mayor for Administration Edward Skyler is being given new responsibilities and is being appointed the Deputy Mayor for Operations.  Skyler will now directly oversee the Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Buildings, the Taxi and Limousine Commission, and the Mayor's Office of Operations/Long-Term Planning and Sustainability. Skyler will continue to assist the Mayor in managing the Police Department, Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management, Office of Management and Budget, and Office of Labor Relations, and continue to directly oversee the Department of Sanitation, Department of Citywide Administrative Services, Office of Contract Services, the Criminal Justice Coordinator, and the Office of Special Enforcement.  Skyler has worked in the Bloomberg Administration since its inception in January, 2002, serving as Press Secretary, Communications Director, and, most recently, Deputy Mayor for Administration.

"Ed's determination, work ethic, and ability to get things done have served the City well throughout his career in government," Mayor Bloomberg said.  "He has excelled in taking on complicated problems and working with people both inside and outside of the Administration to move critical initiatives forward."

"I look forward to taking on these new challenges, getting even more involved in the City's day to day operations, and helping Mayor Bloomberg achieve the most ambitious agenda of any city in the country," Skyler said.

Skyler worked at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation from 1995 to 1999, where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and later as the Public Information Director.  He then was appointed a Deputy Press Secretary to Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.  In 2000, he left the Mayor's Office to work in the Corporate Communications group of Bloomberg LP and, in 2001, he joined Bloomberg for Mayor as the Press Secretary.  Skyler served in that position through the transition during which time he was appointed Press Secretary to the incoming Mayor.  Born and raised in New York City, Skyler is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the evening division of Fordham University School of Law.  He is a member of the New York State Bar.

As part of these changes, the Communications Director and Press Secretary will now report directly to the Mayor.